The Time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visited Washington State

Although the famous civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was more synonymous with the Deep South throughout his life, the reach of his teachings to unify all people stretched across the entire nation, along with his physical presence as well.

ML KING'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON STATE WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY AN OLD FRIEND

Throughout his 13 years of activism, Dr. King traveled extensively, delivering over 2,500 speeches and organizing rallies and marches from California to Massachusetts and many places in-between, including Washington State.

Dr. King's visit to the Evergreen State was organized by Rev. Samuel McKinney, who hoped to bring attention to the civil rights movement in places like the Northwest where it wasn't grabbing the national spotlight.

Get our free mobile app

McKinney, who'd been a college classmate of King's at Morehouse College in Atlanta, used his personal connection to the civil rights leader to bring him to the Seattle area for several engagements in November, 1961.

ML KING DELIVERS SEVERAL SPEECHES OVER TWO-DAY TOUR IN SEATTLE

King kicked off his brief tour of Washington State on Nov. 9 by delivering a speech entitled “Segregation and Civil Liberties: Implications for Students” at the University of Washington (UW).

Following the presentation, King met with UW students and faculty to further discuss civil rights issues in the Northwest before finishing the day with another speech at Temple De Hirsch Sinai.

The next day, King went on to speak at Garfield High School and attended a luncheon of the Civic Unity Committee where Gov. Albert Rosellini and Seattle Mayor Gordon Slinton were both in attendance.

King wrapped up his visit by joining longtime friend and organizer McKinney for a speech at the Eagles Auditorium Building later that evening ahead of his flight back to Atlanta the following day.

ML KING'S LEGACY STILL ALIVE IN BOTH THE EMERALD CITY & EVERGREEN STATE

The brief trip marked the only time during King's life that he would set foot in Washington State, but his legacy can still be found alive and well at many places in Evergreen country today, including at:

- Martin Luther King Elementary School, which was renamed from Harrison Elementary in his honor in 1974

- Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Seattle, which had been known as Empire Way before its renaming in 1982

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, which was opened and dedicated in 1991 at the corner of South Walker Street and the aforementioned Way that also bears his namesake

- Seattle's Act Theater, where a bronze bust of King was placed in 1998 to commemorate his speech at the same location on Nov. 10, 1961