Biographical and Historical Note

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a leader in the Civil Rights movement, the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Throughout his life, King worked as both a Baptist minister and a civil-rights activist. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he played a tremendous role in race relations and the civil rights movement in the United States. King sought equality for victims of injustice through peaceful protest and nonviolence.

He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King's activism contributed in putting an end to the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South and other areas of the nation, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Among various honors, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King was assassinated four years later, in April 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Remembered as one of the most influential African American leaders and orators in history, he is especially well known for 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. He is honored each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986.

Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke in Wait Chapel on October 11, 1962, as part of the College Union Lecture Series. The series was sponsored by the College Union Lecture Committee, a dvision of the College Union that's now known as the Student Union.

Collection Overview

This collection consists of an audio recording and transcript of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech given in Wait Chapel on October 11, 1962, as part of the College Union Lecture Series. In his lecture, King speaks of integration in the South and the continued work necessary for equality, reflecting his influential involvement in the civil rights movement. His messages were especially meaningful at the time of the speech, as Wake Forest College enrolled its first Black student, Ed Reynolds, a Ghanian immigrant, to the college in fall 1962.

The speech runs about 60 minutes, with a brief introduction on behalf of the College Union Lecture Series Committee.

Collection Inventory

• Audio recording compact disc (2 copies)  (1962) box 1 folder 1
• Speech transcript box 1 folder 2

Summary Information

Repository

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives

Title

Audio Recordings. Martin Luther King, Jr. Address in Wait Chapel Recording

ID

RG11.4.1

Date [inclusive]

Quantity

1 half-document box

Extent

0.21  Linear Feet

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, 2014

Access Restrictions

The use of these materials are restricted to the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room. No copies or remote access is allowed. To make an appointment to access these materials onsite, please email archives@wfu.edu or call 336-758-6175. 

Copyright Notice

The nature of the WFU Z.Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. 

Preferred Citation

Audio Recordings. Martin Luther King, Jr. Address in Wait Chapel Recording (RG11.4.1), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. 

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