Martin Luther King Jr. at SMU
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
SMU students were becoming more active in civil rights when at least 50 traveled from Dallas to march from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965. A few months later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accepted an invitation to the campus from the SMU Student Senate. On March 17, 1966, he spoke to a crowd of 2,700 at McFarlin Auditorium. Citing history and longstanding challenges, he listed practical reasons why segregation should end before stating, "in the final analysis, racial injustice must be uprooted from American society because it is morally wrong." Dr. King received a standing ovation in his first Texas visit to a predominantly White university. His speech influenced many to engage in movements for equality on campus, in their city and in the nation. (2021)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the charged spring of the civil rights era, dozens of Southern Methodist University students joined the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and the following year the Student Senate invited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to campus. On March 17, 1966, he addressed a crowd of 2,700 in McFarlin Auditorium, arguing that beyond every practical case for ending segregation lay a plain moral truth. It was his first Texas appearance at a predominantly white university, and it drew a standing ovation.
Why it matters
The visit shows how the national movement reached into Southern campuses, turning students into local organizers and marking a moment when a historically white university publicly reckoned with King's message.
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Related people
- · Martin Luther King Jr.
Related events
- · Selma to Montgomery marches
Themes & tags
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