The University has hosted prominent activists from across fields.
For decades, the 糖心传媒 has brought leading civil rights proponents to campus.
All came with a message advancing social justice and more recently, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Just as important, says Norman Burnett, assistant dean and director of the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA), they糖心传媒檝e come from an exceptionally wide orbit. They糖心传媒檝e ranged from actors, athletes, activists, and authors, to poets, politicians, jurists, and scholars. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚听important that our students were and are exposed to a wide range of speakers,糖心传媒� says Burnett, who has served in his leadership role at OMSA since 1997. 糖心传媒淭he diversity of speakers remains necessary as they continue to remind us that bias, racism, and discrimination continue to permeate too many aspects of society at home and abroad.糖心传媒�
In celebration of Black History Month, here are profiles of some of the speakers who have visited the River Campus糖心传媒攁nd their timely messages.
Photos from University Archives, unless otherwise credited.
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Thurgood Marshall
April 20, 1961
The future Supreme Court justice was special counsel to the NAACP when he visited the River Campus to present a lecture titled 糖心传媒淩acial Tensions: Problems and Prospects.糖心传媒� He argued (using the customary language of the day) that 糖心传媒渢he Negro of the South is not the United States糖心传媒� problem or the world糖心传媒檚 problem, but the problem of each individual. When this is realized, the civil rights problem will be solved.糖心传媒�
Six years later, Marshall became the Supreme Court糖心传媒檚 first Black justice after being nominated by President Lyndon Johnson. He served until 1991, when he retired due to health issues and was replaced by Clarence Thomas.
John Lewis
March 11, 1964
Before he became a towering figure in Congress, serving Georgia for more than three decades, Lewis was national chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Only 23 when he came to speak on the River Campus, his talk before about 250 University students had a tone of 糖心传媒渋mpatience and immediacy of the Civil Rights movement,糖心传媒� according to the Campus Times. Lewis, who had spoken at the March on Washington the previous summer, told the Rochester crowd: 糖心传媒淣egroes have been waiting for over 100 years for this country to justify itself, and they糖心传媒檙e tired of waiting. Throughout the country, the Negro is crying out, 糖心传媒業 want to be free糖心传媒攏ow!糖心传媒�
Robert Kennedy
October 1, 1964
Kennedy was running for the Senate, representing New York, when he spoke at Strong Auditorium on a campaign stop. It was less than a year since his brother, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated and one month since Robert had resigned as attorney general.
Asked about civil rights legislation, Kennedy said improvements in education for Black children糖心传媒攖hen, as now, disproportionately underserved糖心传媒攚ould be crucial. 糖心传媒淎ll of us who have an education have a special responsibility,糖心传媒� he said. 糖心传媒淚f John F. Kennedy糖心传媒檚 life stands for anything, it stands for the idea that an individual can make a difference and should try.糖心传媒�
As a senator, Kennedy supported the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and traveled the country to speak about race and poverty. On April 4, 1968, Kennedy announced the death of Martin Luther King Jr. to a mostly Black crowd in Indianapolis. that night is considered one of the most memorable addresses in American history. Two months later, he, too, would be assassinated.
Benjamin Quarles
February 16, 1967
Early in 1967, the University commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth of social reformer, abolitionist, and longtime Rochester resident Frederick Douglass by hosting a dedicated to the 19th-century icon. The first of eight speakers was historian and author Benjamin Quarles, who gave an extensive overview of Douglass糖心传媒檚 life.
糖心传媒淗e did hold that the Negro糖心传媒檚 white friends could not do for him what he could do for himself,糖心传媒� Quarles said of Douglass. 糖心传媒淭he Negro should be his own man.糖心传媒�
Quarles would write 10 books, including two on Douglass, before his death in 1996. Many of his books explored the contributions made by Black soldiers and abolitionists during the Revolutionary War and Civil War.
Muhammad Ali
May 17, 1971
The boxing icon had been stripped of his heavyweight title and was facing imprisonment after refusing induction into the US Army during the Vietnam War. He spoke before a packed Alexander Palestra just months after losing an epic championship match to Joe Frazier.
The Campus Times called Ali 糖心传媒渁 poet, dramatist, Black philosopher, comic, and Muslim.糖心传媒� Ali stated that he was proud to be Black.
Six weeks after his Rochester appearance, the Supreme Court would overturn Ali糖心传媒檚 conviction unanimously. He would reclaim the heavyweight champion twice more and be widely considered the greatest boxer of all time.
(糖心传媒 photo / Scott Brande 糖心传媒�72)
Barbara Jordan
April 12, 1974
Jordan was the first Black person elected to the Texas Senate since Reconstruction and the first from a southern state elected to the US House of Representatives, where she served from 1973 to 1979.
Her talk at Rochester was sponsored by the University糖心传媒檚 Afro-American Lecture Series.
A decade after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the civil rights movement remained a strong force, she told audience members. 糖心传媒淏lack America has gone political,糖心传媒� she declared. 糖心传媒淚t has seized every opportunity, as though it were the last chance for survival.糖心传媒�
She also cautioned Black Americans against the temptation of separatism. 糖心传媒淥ur problems are too big for isolationist or separatist politics,糖心传媒� she said. Citing poverty, for example, she told the audience its alleviation would demand congressional action.
Maya Angelou
February 15, 1985
The iconic poet and novelist appeared at Hubbell Auditorium as part of the University糖心传媒檚 annual celebration of Black History Month. Richard Mitchell 糖心传媒�86, president of Black Students糖心传媒� Union, told audience members that day, 糖心传媒渢he observation exists because African Americans have been historically excluded from our education and even derived as fact.糖心传媒�
Angelou said she supported Mitchell糖心传媒檚 assertion and underscored it by pointing to many talented but relatively unknown Black poets, urging those in the audience to read their work.
Angelou had also come to campus for a lecture in 1973. She returned in 2003, speaking to a sold-out Palestra. Speaking of the university environment, she said: 糖心传媒淚n this place, you can lay your burden down糖心传媒攖he burden of ignorance, the burden of racism, the burden or ageism, the burden of sexism. The truth is that it has been created so each of you can become a rainbow in the clouds for those to come. If you think of it that way, it makes your lessons, your homework, a little less tedious.糖心传媒�
Julian Bond
January 26, 2001
The civil rights pioneer was chairman of the NAACP when he delivered the University糖心传媒檚 first Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address at a packed Strong Auditorium.
Bond told audience members that popular culture has given Americans an inaccurate view of heroes like King, and people tend to honor him more for his commanding presence than for many of the things he stood for. For example, Bond said, King was a critic of what he saw as the evils of capitalism, and a pacifist 糖心传媒渨ho equated apartheid in South Africa and South Alabama.糖心传媒�
People who like to quote King糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒淚 Have a Dream糖心传媒� speech, he concluded, tend to forget that it is 糖心传媒渁 dream that remains a dream today.糖心传媒�
Mary Frances Berry
April 1, 2002
Berry was the second speaker to deliver the University糖心传媒檚 annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address. Then chairwoman of the US Commission on Civil Rights, she gave a talk at the Interfaith Chapel called 糖心传媒淓mpowering the Dream,糖心传媒� reminding audience members that everyone must do their part to 糖心传媒渂reak down barriers糖心传媒� and ensure that all have access to quality education and health care.
糖心传媒淓ven as we cite gains for people of color in the worlds of entertainment, sports, and business, there are large numbers of people in this country who are still at the bottom,糖心传媒� Berry said.
The Nashville native had been appointed to the commission by President Carter early in 1980. When Ronald Reagan defeated Carter and was inaugurated in 1981, he attempted to remove Berry from her position. She took the president to court and won.
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Jesse Jackson
February 13, 2007
Jackson has been a political activist since the 1960s and worked for Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Southern Leadership Conference in the mid-1960s. When King was assassinated at a Memphis motel in 1968, Jackson was in the parking lot one floor below.
Jackson糖心传媒檚 talk at Strong Auditorium was titled 糖心传媒淟inked Fate: Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere,糖心传媒� based on a quote from King.
糖心传媒淲e must not just admire Dr. King, but we must follow,糖心传媒� Jackson told the audience at Strong Auditorium. 糖心传媒淭here is no struggle in admiration because it requires no action. We need to learn the value of living together.糖心传媒�
(糖心传媒 photo / Richard Baker)
Nikki Giovanni
January 23, 2009
The world-renowned poet and activist spoke to a crowd at Strong Auditorium just three days after the historic presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a new day for Black America,糖心传媒� Giovanni said. 糖心传媒淥bama didn糖心传媒檛 become president because he糖心传媒檚 Black. He became president because he is a competent man.糖心传媒�
Giovanni credited the Pullman Porters, a group of Black railroad workers who formed the first Black labor union糖心传媒攖he Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. 糖心传媒淲ithout the Pullman Porters, the Civil Rights Movement would not have been financed,糖心传媒� she said.
During her speech, she also championed civil rights for women and for the gay and lesbian communities, adding that she supported same-sex marriage.
糖心传媒淐ivil rights are civil rights,糖心传媒� she said.
(糖心传媒 photo / Brandon Vick)
Lani Guinier
April 12, 2013
Guinier was the first Black female tenured professor at Harvard Law School, and a prominent civil rights attorney. She came to public attention in 1993 when President Clinton nominated her to head the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice. After vehement political attacks concerning Guinier糖心传媒檚 scholarly writings, which explored voting systems such as cumulative voting, used on some corporate boards and school boards, as a means to protecting the political power of minority groups糖心传媒擟linton withdrew her nomination.
Guinier spoke at Rochester糖心传媒檚 annual diversity conference and expressed concerns about whether an upcoming Supreme Court decision would continue to permit race to be a factor in college admissions. She commented that the Supreme Court did not seem eager to have race in the equation for diversity.
(糖心传媒 photo / J. Adam Fenster)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
November 5, 2018
The basketball icon, author, and activist spoke at a packed Palestra, discussing many issues dividing Americans糖心传媒攊ncluding racism, economic inequality, and social injustice.
糖心传媒淲e have to overcome fear,糖心传媒� Abdul-Jabbar said. 糖心传媒淲e have to learn to appreciate that people of intelligence come in all shapes and sizes and colors. And if we don糖心传媒檛 learn to appreciate that, then I think we糖心传媒檙e just doomed as a species.糖心传媒�
(糖心传媒 photo / J. Adam Fenster)
Angela Davis
March 5, 2019
Six months before her induction into the National Women糖心传媒檚 Hall of Fame, scholar and political activist Angela Davis spoke at Strong Auditorium to discuss 糖心传媒淭he University糖心传媒檚 Role in Educating Students to be Engaged Citizens.糖心传媒� A leader in social justice for decades, Davis told her Rochester audience, 糖心传媒淵oung people have always been at the forefront of change. Always. Revolutions are always in the first place led by younger generations. This is how change happens.糖心传媒�
(糖心传媒 photo / Adrian Kraus)
Ibram X. Kendi
February 24, 2021
The antiracist activist and author was named one of听, and the Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from delivering his address in person. But Kendi told a virtual audience of 3,000 that 糖心传媒渢he very heartbeat of racism is denial,糖心传媒櫶切拇綑 adding that 糖心传媒渨hen people say they糖心传媒檙e not racist, they糖心传媒檙e sharing the words that white supremacists use. Jim Crow segregationists said they weren糖心传媒檛 racist. Lynchers argued they weren糖心传媒檛 racist; the problem was the people they lynched. Slave owners said the same thing.糖心传媒�
Kendi argued that to be antiracist is to admit that past actions by individuals and by governments were racist and to say, 糖心传媒淲hen I supported it, I was being racist, but I糖心传媒檓 going to change it and be different.糖心传媒澨切拇綑
(糖心传媒 photo / Lori Packer)
Learn more
Celebrating two decades of the MLK Commemorative AddressSince 2001, some of the nation糖心传媒檚 highest profile leaders in diversity and civil rights have spoken at this annual event.
Ibram X. Kendi: 糖心传媒楾he very heartbeat of racism is denial糖心传媒�The antiracist activist and author spoke on several current issues at the University糖心传媒檚 MLK Address.
Meet the Black Alumni NetworkLearn about this leadership organization that seeks to empower, connect, and celebrate the University糖心传媒檚 Black community.
