On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by a sniper's bullet while standing on the second-floor balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. An exhibition at the Thompson Library of The Ohio State University Libraries commemorates King's assassination and the subsequent student protests at the campus following his death.
King's death spurred social justice protests across the globe and was the catalyst for change at Ohio State. A few weeks following King's assassination--April 26, 1968--more than 75 members of the OSU’s Black Student Union staged a “lock-in,” blocking access to the university business office (Bricker Hall). The students demanded open off-campus housing, the hiring of more minority faculty, and the teaching of courses on African-American history and culture. These protests were crucial to the establishment of The Department African American and African Studies and other academic offices addressing the social concerns of diverse campus communities.
Visit the exhibit, curated by Leta Hendricks, in the Thompson Library, 2nd floor study area, #240. The exhibition will be on display through June 30.
More information is available at http://guides.osu.edu/africana/theuprising.