In September 1944, 15-year old Martin Luther King Jr. enrolled at Morehouse College. King’s enrollment was amid World War II’s aim to enlist predominantly Black college students. In response, Morehouse extended the right for high school juniors to apply.
Morehouse College, the historically Black institution, became a generational bedrock to Dr. King’s education, as his father and maternal grandfather had also attended the college.
Dr. King’s time at college matured his sense of awareness on social and political issues among African Americans.
Although King’s college life has been largely characterized by middling academic performance, the experiences during his Morehouse days set him on a path toward ministry and the fervent struggle for civil rights.
MLK is, in essence, — forever HBCU made.
In 1948, Dr. King graduated from Morehouse College with a B.A. in Sociology. During his college days, he wrote several articles in publications like The Atlanta Constitution and Maroon Tiger, on the impact and purpose of equal rights and education.
This MLK Day, we honor Dr. King in his own words. Here are five MLK quotes on education, equality, and commitment to social change.
“The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.”
“We want and are entitled to the basic rights and opportunities of American citizens.”
“The right to earn a living at work for which we are fitted by training and ability; equal opportunities in education, health, recreation, and similar public services; the right to vote; equality before the law; some of the same courtesy and good manners that we ourselves bring to all human relations.”
“Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life.”
“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.“
