Martin Luther King Memorial Service in front of Bricker Hall, April 1968
Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination on April 4, 1968, sparked immediate reaction from the OSU community. After he was killed, some advocated violence – In The Lantern, one student called for people to pick up their guns – while others carried on his strategy of peaceful protest.
On April 7, a group of about 150 students marched from the Ohio Union to the Ohio State Fairgrounds. According to The Lantern, another group of students removed the American flag flying outside of Bricker Hall and took it to then-Provost John Corbally, saying a flag that represented violence should not hang even at half-mast for a man who stood for nonviolence. On April 9, Novice Fawcett ordered classes cancelled to honor King’s memory.
That year, the May Week Committee and Traditions Board decided that all proceeds made from festivities that week would be used to start a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Fund scholarship for incoming students, based on scholastic ability and need. Until then, the profits had gone to the United Appeal fund.
MLK Jr. Day of Service, 2004
In 1999, Project Community at the Ohio Union started the annual MLK Day of Service at Ohio State. Students, faculty and staff volunteer that day on various community service projects that target children, literacy, senior citizens and the homeless. This year, OSU’s Pay It Forward will sponsor the event. (For details, see: https://lead.osu.edu/community-engagement/pay-it-forward/mlk-jr-day-of-service )
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