UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Penn State President Eric Barron has penned a “Digging Deeper” blog post reflecting on our progress as a nation and as a University in becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
“Many Penn Staters have personal memories of Dr. King,” Barron wrote. “Some may have attended his speech in Rec Hall in 1965. Some of our students attended a school named in his honor, or were inspired by Dr. King to participate in an annual day of service. My own relationship with Dr. King’s teachings was formed growing up in the segregated South. I saw firsthand the inequities that spanned water fountains, restaurants, hotels, restrooms, voting, housing and schools. The isolation and abuse that a lone Black student felt in my large high school are powerful memories that I will never forget. There was also hope. As an Atlanta high school student walking in Dr. King’s funeral procession, I saw tens of thousands of people send the message that King’s voice was not going to be silenced by an assassin’s bullet. I watched as the highest court of the land consistently struck down segregation.
“In this context, we have come a long way as a nation. Gone are the ignorant ‘whites only’ signs and most Jim Crow laws. I can also mark the progress at Penn State, but I can do so only if it is followed by an honest accounting of the level of disenfranchisement that continues today. A wise Penn State Forum on Black Affairs (FOBA) leader once told me that if we spend our time taking pride in what we have done, we will lose sight of how far we must go.”