Dr. Martin Luther King At Illinois Wesleyan University

Left: Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at Illinois Wesleyan University on February 10, 1966. Right: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is seen at a press conference in 1966.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is perhaps best known for his “I Have A Dream” speech. As inspirational as it was, many of his lesser-known speeches offer a nuanced and articulate argument against racism worldwide. Before his death, he also took more radical positions regarding inequality and war.

On February 10, 1966, three years after the March on Washington, Rev. King visited the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

We wanted to bring you an extended excerpt of that speech, acknowledging the uncanny nature of his arguments, as relevant to today.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM