Students rush past them every day, some oblivious to their presence, others casting a quick glance before they move on with their day. Yet, if one takes a minute to reflect on them, their power is undeniable. They are the words of a national hero — the hopes of a man who dared to dream and had the courage to fight for his vision.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. I have a dream.”
Martin Luther King Jr. uttered these words Aug. 28, 1963, at the civil rights March on Washington. They have been repeated many times, and they now grace the EMU’s main lobby as a constant reminder of King’s legacy.
The quotation became a part of the EMU in August 1986, after a long, controversial process. The original University statement of purpose, written in 1951 by Dean William C. Jones, embellished the lobby. Selected parts of the statement, such as “The University of Oregon … guardian of the noble in man’s aspiration … leader in the quest of the good life for all men,” irritated university alumnus Mary Hotchkiss, who challenged the administration to get rid of it.
Hotchkiss, who was student body president in 1984, said she was disturbed by the quotation’s sexist connotations, with its use of the words “man” and “men” to represent all campus members. Many women felt disenfranchised each time they saw the sign, she said.
“What sense does it make to have a purpose of the University that doesn’t have everybody in it?” she said.
Hotchkiss asked former University President Paul Olum to support her petition to the EMU Board to get the quote painted out. Hotchkiss said the petition sparked unprecedented controversy. While some people supported the quotation’s elimination, others argued it was a historical document that should be preserved. But Hotchkiss did not want to give up.
“I said, ‘If that was a racist quote, would you leave that?’ Of course not,” she said.
According to the EMU’s Director Emeritus Adell McMillan, the controversy simmered until November 1984 when the EMU board agreed to remove the quote.
McMillan, who was EMU director until 1991, said the spot remained empty for a long time as the EMU Board and student government solicited views from the campus for a new quote. She said Olum suggested a quote by Thomas Jefferson, but the board decided it was more appropriate in another area of the EMU.
Hotchkiss said the ASUO also suggested other quotes, including King’s and one by Susan B. Anthony.
On June 5, 1986, the EMU Board decided King would have a commemorative space at the University.
Hotchkiss said she was delighted.
“Each time I walk in the EMU, I think of how many people feel included because of that quote,” she said. “Martin Luther King’s greatness in my eyes was his inclusiveness. He wanted everyone at the same table. … When people walk through (the EMU), they know they’re part of that table.”
McMillan said the quote was chosen when King was becoming more of a national hero, and it was an appropriate honor to his memory. The first time that Martin Luther King Day was celebrated as a national holiday was 1986.
“Historically, that quote is one of the most quoted of any national figure, and it certainly spoke to the University’s concern for diversity,” McMillan said.
For Black Student Union member and senior Dominique Beaumonte, the quote reminds him of the struggles activists like King went through that enabled his generation to attend institutions like the University.
“It should be a reminder to students that we are responsible to bring (King’s) dream to fruition,” Beaumonte said.
EMU Director Dusty Miller agreed.
“It signifies the commitment to the spirit to Dr. King,” Miller said. “I think his vision is something to aspire to.”