Monmouth University Unveils Interactive MLK Exhibit

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Monmouth's Boylan Gymnasium on Oct. 6, 1966. Fifty-three years later, Monmouth University opened an interactive exhibit to honor Dr. King's visit.

Monmouth University unveiled “Waves of Change: An Interactive Exhibit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Monmouth University” on Monday in Wilson Hall.

In addition to the podium, the exhibit features a wave-like wall with an audio timeline of King's speech at the university. The timeline comes complete with accompanying visual callouts of historical references Dr. King made throughout the speech.

Visitors can listen to the speech themselves by scanning a QR code with their cell phones or utilizing available tablet computers.

“Beyond preserving the iconic podium, we explored Dr. King’s speech at Monmouth and wanted to honor the full range of civil rights history that he talked about,” said Monmouth University President Grey Dimenna. “The wave design represents the flow of time and how change and progress often come in waves. It was King’s directive to remember how far we’ve come, but also to acknowledge how far we have to go.”

King was 37 when he delivered the speech at then Monmouth College. He accepted an invitation to deliver the address as part of the student union lecture series.

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D., chair of the Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion and vice provost for academic and faculty affairs, said it shouldn't be understated that a student group invited Dr. King to campus and that then-college president William Van Note introduced him.

“The youth made a concerted effort to bring Dr. King to campus at a time when his presence was considered controversial, and the administration was bold enough to allow it,” Parsons-Pollard said. “This exhibit not only honors the history and legacy of King’s speech, but also the spirit of academia—intellectual freedom and the ability to challenge each other’s beliefs and opinions about the most pressing issues facing society.”

The exhibit will be a permanent installation on the main floor of Wilson Hall. The public can view it during regular business hours.

For more information on the exhibit, visit monmouth.edu/wavesofchange.

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