In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered the baccalaureate address to the graduating class of Bryn Mawr College. Dr. King spoke extemporaneously, leaving no written record of his speech. Most alums who were there remember the overall excitement of the event more than the specifics of the speech.
However, there are at least two newspaper accounts of Dr. King's remarks. Both accounts report that Dr. King spoke about U.S. civil rights issues and world affairs, including the need for a negotiated peace settlement in Vietnam and an end to U.S. militarism.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer:
"In a baccalaureate address in which he put heavy accent on world affairs, Dr. King said his visit to India last year convinced him the United States would serve humanity better by putting food in the mouths of needy nations rather than military bases on their soil."
“We have made the world into a neighborhood,” he told the audience of 1,000, some 150 of whom were graduating seniors, “Now let us make it into a brotherhood…We must achieve world perspective. The destiny of all nations is tied together."
The second account of the speech comes from a newspaper clipping provided by Suellen Keiner ’66. The clipping doesn’t include the name of the publication but is likely from either the Philadelphia Bulletin or a local Mainline newspaper.
From the article:
"Among social evils he [Dr. King] cited continuing racial segregation. He said, 'we must reaffirm the basic immorality of racial segregation.'"
“'It is not enough,' he said, 'to say that segregation is sociologically untenable: it is not enough to say it is economically wasteful and politically unsound. In the final analysis, racial segregation must be uprooted from our society because it is morally wrong and sinful.'”
“'We have made progress,' Dr. King continued. 'But the plant of freedom has not yet flowered. We are freer but we are not yet free.'”
Special thanks to all the members of the Class of 1966 and Chloe Berger ’21 who helped research this article. We will update this article if we are able to identify the source of the second article.
The Career & Civic Engagement Center has prepared a list of resources for virtual service, education, and reflection to help guide Bryn Mawr College community members in honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These activities are organized by local community groups and organizations within the Philadelphia metropolitan area and all are free, open to the public, and virtual.