More than half a century after his death, the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continue to shape movements around the world. At the center of his message was a radical idea — that real strength is found not in retaliation, but in restraint. That was a message given—and received—loud and clear when Dr. King made his visit to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus. As we approach the end of Black History Month, WEMU’s John Stockwell takes a closer look at Dr. King’s message and the enduring power of nonviolence.
The soundtrack of a nation is always evolving, reflecting who we are and who we hope to become. Then comes a voice that forever alters that story. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s message still carries weight today, reminding us that strength is not measured in volume and courage is not proven through force. King called it nonviolence, a philosophy that confronted hatred without becoming it. But in a louder, more divided world, what does nonviolence ask of us now?
Dr. Victor Okafor is a professor at Eastern Michigan University, who has spent years studying the principles behind peaceful resistance.
OKAFOR: "Nonviolence is premised upon love. If you extend love to someone who is hurting you, that is like pouring water on fire. Your response with love is much more likely to soften the heart of whoever your antagonist or oppressor is."
If nonviolence seems counterintuitive during moments of extreme tension, history offers a powerful answer. During the Civil Rights Movement, peaceful demonstrators were often met with arrests, attack dogs, fire hoses, and outright brutality.
So, why did nonviolence succeed even when violence surrounded it? Dr. Okafor says the answer lies in both strategy and psychology.
OKAFOR: "You're talking about armed forces of the state. And the people upon whom they were pouring the water were not armed. And even if those people were armed, what is the likelihood that they would have outgunned? The forces of coercion of the state, blood would have been shed. And the protesters would have actually lost out."
Dr. King's message traveled far beyond the front lines of protest. In 1962, he brought that message to the University of Michigan, speaking to students eager to understand their role in a changing America. Today, pieces of that historic visit still exist, carefully preserved inside the Bentley Historical Library.
Brian Williams is an archivist for University History at the U of M, where history isn't just remembered, it's protected.
WILLIAMS: "Yeah, it was November 1962. It was somewhat known that he was here. There's a photo of him in the 1962 Michigan Ensign Yearbook. And the Michigan Daily had a really brief article about his visit, but it kind of faded from popular memory. And it was trying to, years after, 50 years, some years after, trying to figure out who invited him, what were the circumstances, and who was there."
When Dr. King came to the University of Michigan in 1962, one appearance wasn't enough. Demand to hear him was so strong he delivered two separate speeches that day, each drawing crowds eager to listen to a movement gaining national momentum.
I asked Brian Williams what those moments looked like.
WILLIAMS: "We have a little bit of photographic evidence that he was in Hill Auditorium and at the Michigan Union speaking with student groups. He gave two main talks, both at Hill Auditorium. Reports say they were filled, 5,000 people capacity. He spoke at 4:00 and at 8:00, two different lectures, about 45 minutes each or so. We don't have the precise details. Unfortunately, there's no recording. That's what's so frustrating that all we know of what he actually said is a brief column in the Michigan Daily."
By the early 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was becoming one of the most recognized voices in America. But bringing a leader of that magnitude to campus didn't happen by chance. So, how did the University of Michigan manage to land Dr. King for not one, but two speeches? Brian Williams says it came at a moment when universities were beginning to engage more directly with the growing civil rights movement.
WILLIAMS: "We found that he was invited by the Office of Religious Affairs. They wrote to him in 1961, trying to get him that fall. And he said, you know, he's very busy, had a lot of other commitments. They wrote to him again, seeing if he could come on another date in '61. And they just persisted and finally found a date in November 1962 that would work with his schedule."
And when looking through the archives, I asked Brian Williams what kind of memorabilia from the visit he found.
WILLIAMS: "The original flyer, it's a mimeographed flyer. It's kind of quaint looking, advertising Martin Luther King's speech. You know, it kind of has that blue tint. It talks about the speech at four o'clock, speech at eight o'clock. It's part of it's handwritten. And so, it was very low-tech. And you can just imagine these being posted about campus, maybe around town. This is a press release from the U of M News and Information Service, kind of highlighting some religious lectures that were coming up. And they're highlighting that Martin Luther King, co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, President Emeritus of the Montgomery Improvement Association, will give two lectures on Monday, November 5, in Hill Auditorium. It said the 4:00 talk would be on moral integration and discrimination. And at 8:00, he'd speak on what does the American Negro citizen want, the future of integration.
In light of recent events, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University in September 2025 and the subsequent protests in Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two citizens by federal agents, the question arises: Is nonviolence still a viable strategy in today's climate?
Dr. Okafor says it is and even described some guidelines.
OKAFOR: "It is premised on divine love, which is eternal. Nonviolence in the practical realm makes use of a variety of tools. Yes, carrying placards to broadcast your stance to the world is a legitimate tool of nonviolence. If anybody disagrees with that messaging, then it behooves that person to provide a counter message. But of course, you have to do all of that within the confines of law, within the confines of decency. You should not use placards to defame people. Keep in mind that all of the rights that you believe you are entitled to also apply to others. As long as our course is just, we will be emboldened. We will act with courage. Eventually, we might get the listening ears of the powers that be."
Dr. King spoke to a country wrestling with injustice. Today, many of those struggles, though different in shape, still persist.
So, I asked Dr. Okafor if Martin Luther King were standing at a podium in America right now, what might he tell us?
OKAFOR: "Dr. King would have condemned the bloodletting. He was not for bloodshed. He was for the brotherhood of humankind, universal brotherhood, universal sisterhood. He would have supported the protesters. He would have counseled them to make sure that they utilized only nonviolent means, to make sure that they did not carry weapons. Because if you carry weapons as part of your arsenal for protests, you're going to provoke a counter-response. And so, violence begets violence, and love begets love."
Dr. King once said the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. More than 60 years later, that work, that responsibility, still belongs to all of us.
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