On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King III, son of the late Martin Luther King Jr., will speak at DePauw University. He will be the third lecturer this semester for the Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Series.
The speech, which will be at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, is titled "Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of Two Pivotal Events: My Father's 'Dream' and JFK in Dallas." It will be the second visit Martin Luther King III has made at DePauw. He spoke in Meharry Hall in 2002. King's father also gave a sermon at Gobin United Methodist Church in 1960.
"It just seemed right," said Ken Owen, executive director of media relations for DePauw University, in a phone interview Thursday. "It just seemed like a good time to do this."
This lecture will bring life to the history books in which DePauw students learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and the JFK assassination.
"It probably seems like old newsreel footage," Owen said.
While the date and time of the speech are confirmed and the university has announced Meharry Hall as the location, Owen said that the location could change.
"We're still contemplating the potential of moving [the speech,]" Owen said. "We just nailed down Meharry because at the moment that seemed like the best available venue."
Owen noted that selecting a place for the Ubben Lectures is typically a challenge.
"You want it to be intimate," Owen said. "The smaller the room, obviously, the more powerful the presentation, but you also don't want a bunch of people that can't get in. But you also don't want an auditorium that's half empty."
Junior Marissa Doherty is looking forward to the speech.
"I don't know much about him, but I think it's cool just knowing the family line that he comes from and the history that comes from all of that," Doherty said.
Senior Jonny McFadden also did not know much about the upcoming lecturer beyond his father's impact and his role as a human rights advocate.
"I think anytime that someone who is advocating for human rights is speaking on a college campus, it's beneficial to go hear them speak," McFadden said.
Doherty thinks that a lot of students will come to the event.
"Everyone's been making a big deal about it, from what I've heard, just because of all the history behind him and his family," Doherty said.
McFadden felt that most people had not heard about the event.