Martin Luther King exhibit at Boston University's Gotlieb

Consisting of 83,000 items, the King collection is both one of the largest and the most frequently consulted of the more than 2,000 holdings in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.

Martin Luther King is remembered during this important American holiday memorializing his birthday and Civil Rights.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968.

An exhibit about Dr. King's life is open to the public throughout the year, at Boston University's Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.

Pin His Ear to the Wisdom Post: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the School of Prophets

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who received his doctorate from the School of Theology in 1955 six months before he stepped into history as the leader of the legendary Montgomery Bus Boycott, is not merely the most celebrated graduate of Boston University; he is its quintessential alumnus, the personification of the vision its founders had in establishing the institution in 1839.

In appreciation of his edification and inspiration here, Dr. King donated his papers to Boston University in 1964, the year his stature on the global stage was confirmed in his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Martin Luther King Reading Room 

Consisting of 83,000 items, the King collection is both one of the largest and the most frequently consulted of the more than 2,000 holdings in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.

This exhibit, showcasing a small fragment of the King trove, is intended to enable an appreciation of how much King, often regarded as a product of and actor in the long, hot summer of the American South's conflagration over civil rights, was, in fact, a man for all seasons, groomed for that role in his study of systematic theology at Boston University's "School of Prophets."

Located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Room on the third floor of Mugar Memorial Library. The exhibition can be viewed Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

MLK Resources available to the public: 

A Knock at Midnight: This book highlights eleven of King’s most powerful messages, including his final sermon “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”

Selma This 2014 historical drama is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. The critically acclaimed film was directed by Ava DuVernay and starred David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo.

Boycott This 2001 made-for-tv movie tells the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, of which King was the leader. The film stars Jeffery Wright, C.C. H. Pounder, and Terrence Howard.

Hotter Than July Stevie Wonder’s 19th studio album featured the single “Happy Birthday” in an effort to galvanize support for the creation of a King Holiday. The bill would be passed in 1983, three years after the singles’ release. The first King Holiday was observed in 1986. The birthday song would become a signature of the holiday.

My Life, My Love, My Legacy: Coretta Scott King King’s late widow Coretta Scott details her life as the woman beside King.

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America Author Michael Eric Dyson takes the reader back to King’s final moments and how his death impacted America.