Ohio Northern Remembers Martin Luther King

Dr. King during his address at Ohio Northern University.

The site of the new Dr. King statue adjacent to the Taft building.

Dr. Martin Luther King visited the Ohio Northern campus in 1968 to give an address to the protestors of the Lima garbage collectors strike that had been going on. The address occurred at the Taft gymnasium of the University in front of crowds of protestors and college students alike. Several months later, Dr. King was assassinated several months later in the spring of 1969 in Atlanta Georgia. Since his passing, the university has made a point to carry on the teachings Dr. King professed on its campus 50 years ago. Part of the university’s celebration of the work of Dr. King involved a memorial held this semester of the 2018 school year. The memorial to King consisted of a panel of experts on civil rights to show how King’s teachings are being applied today.  The lecture encompassed how people working to persevere the civil rights of African Americans in today’s culture using the teachings of Dr. King. The university then continued the memorial to Dr. King by dedicating a statue to him adjacent to the Taft gymnasium where he delivered his speech 50 years ago.
The statue dedicated to Dr. King is currently being erected on the same stretch of sidewalk as the statue dedicated to the founder of the university. The location of the statue adjacent to the building not only memorializes the work of Dr. King, but also memorializes his presence here on the campus of Ohio Northern. The erecting of this statue not only serves as a memorial to Dr. King and his teachings here at Northern, but also works as sort of a marketing ploy for the university. Like most other universities, Ohio Northern is relatively liberal when it comes to political standing. The erecting of a statue to a figure who strived tirelessly for equality and rights for those who were being down
   trodden by the masses. This focal point being added to the campus of the university brings to light the teachings that the university advocate to its students through its required curriculum. The upfront presentation of this school of thought through the presence of the Dr. King memorial statue serves as a subtle advertising campaign. It gives the impression that the university is a progressive and understanding university that encourages against the mistakes of the past. The university works diligently to make sure that the principles taught by Dr. King are honored and taught to the students of Ohio Northern. This is done at this university by incorporating his teachings and school of thought into the ethics courses that are required for every student at Ohio Northern to take in order to graduate. Ohio Northern has done a great deal to keep the memory of Martin Luther King alive. Although the statue was mainly erected to honor the memory of Dr. King, there is also a part of it that serves as a method of advertising for the teachings of the university. The statue will be officially dedicated on April 17th 2018.