"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear".
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., my daughter (Kennedy) and I attended the "MLK and the Black Freedom Movement" - A Display at Beinecke Library.
The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is the rare book library and literary archive of the Yale University Library in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the largest buildings in the world dedicated to rare books and manuscripts and is one of the largest collections of such texts.
The exhibit featured a walkthrough and showcased numerous original artifacts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s journey and the Black Freedom Movement. It began with a video of Dr. King's speech "The Dimensions of A Complete Life," delivered at Battell Chapel, Yale University, on January 14, 1962. The speech was recorded and aired on WBAI.
Black Freedom Movement Display
The Black Freedom Movement is a period of African American activism that began in the mid-1940s and lasted until the mid-1970s. Some of the key events included:
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks led a boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott lasted over a year and ended with desegregated buses.
Brown v. Board of Education
A landmark Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation in public schools.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
A law passed after the Civil Rights Movement that helped to eliminate Jim Crow laws.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
A law passed after the Civil Rights Movement that helped to increase voting rights for Black Americans.
First Black Students to Attend Yale University Display
The names of some of the first Black students at Yale—Richard Henry Greene, Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed, Edward Bouchet—are now familiar to many at Yale. Currently, there is a project titled "Shining Light on Truth: Early Black Students at Yale" that Beinecke is dedicated to researching, understanding, and uplifting the stories of early Black pathfinders at the university. It seeks to answer questions while connecting scholars and members of the public to resources to pursue their own inquiries.
Our Soul Food Meal
Dr. King was well-known for his love of soul food, which was one of his favorite cuisines. Research shows that he particularly enjoyed fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and pecan pie. Thus, ending our journey with a soul food meal seemed fitting. Kennedy found a soul food restaurant named Sandra's Next Generation Soul Food in New Haven, CT. The food was EXCELLENT!! I had fried chicken, black-eyed peas over rice, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cornbread. Unfortunately, they didn't have pecan pie, so I opted for sweet potato pie, which did not disappoint!
Our Gratitude to Dr. King
On MLK Day and throughout the year, we express our gratitude to Dr. King and countless other heroes for their sacrifices in the struggle for our equality and freedom.
Bravo Yale University!
The tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Freedom Movement was truly beautiful. What truly touched my heart was seeing people of all nationalities in attendance, embodying exactly what Dr. King represented.
Bravo Yale University - Beinecke Library!
Looks like you two had a great time. Thank you for all the amazing information on Dr. King.