Yale Library honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with in-person and online exhibits

  • MLK in suit and tie waves from balcony to large crowd belong with Washington Monument in background
  • Five standing banners against columns line the nave with painting of Alma Mater in alcove at far end
    “The Kings at Yale” in Sterling Library
January 13, 2025

From Mon., Jan. 13, through the month of February—Black History Month—Sterling Memorial Library will display a banner exhibition to honor Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

“The Kings at Yale” documents Dr. King’s and Coretta Scott King’s visits to Yale University in the late 1950s and mid-1960s, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

The text and images featured on the five banners draw on records and materials from multiple sources, including the Office of the President, “YaleNews,” national newspapers, and the library’s Manuscripts and Archives collection.

An online version of the exhibition “The Kings at Yale” is on permanent display on the Yale Library website.

On Sun., Jan. 19, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library will host “MLK and the Black Freedom Movement,” a special one-day display of materials related to Dr. King and the African American freedom movement. Documents from the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of African American Arts and Letters will highlight Dr. King’s life and legacy and the long history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

During the week of Jan. 27, Yale Library will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by participating in a Citywide Read program, held in New Haven high schools, community centers, and public libraries. The planning committee is organizing in-depth discussions about the history of civil rights and its ongoing role in modern times. Nick Wantsala, the Kenya S. Flash Resident, and other Yale Library staff members will host the events, which will feature books written by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II on the topic of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. 

Read about the Kenya S. Flash Residency and the 2024 Citywide Read, featuring the book “Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts” by prominent Civil Rights activist Ruby Bridges.

Register for Yale University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemoration, with guest speaker Bishop William J. Barber II, on Mon. Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. at Battell Chapel, 400 College Street. The event is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed.

All Yale libraries are closed on Jan. 20 in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

—Deborah Cannarella