Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute

️"Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation."
- King, STRIDE TOWARD FREEDOM

Photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King laying a wreath at Gandhi's memorial by U.S. Embassy New Delhi.

#OnThisDay in 1959, the Kings laid a wreath at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi during their month-long trip to India. Learn more about King's pilgrimage here: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/india-trip

🔥Join us for a Fireside Chat with Congressman Jim Clyburn as we celebrate the release of his new book!

This event is open to the public. Attend in person at Stanford Law School @law.stanford.edu or virtually via livestream.

🔗 RSVP now! kinginstitute.stanford.edu/events/lectu...

Celebrate Black History Month 2026 Theme: A Century of Black History Commemorations

We join the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in celebrating a century of Black history commemorations this #BlackHistoryMonth ✊🏿

Learn more: asalh.org/black-histor...

Photograph by Bob Fitch, courtesy of the Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford University Libraries.

Happy birthday to Dexter King on his 65th birthday!

In the photo below, Dexter (striped shirt) enjoys a meal with Bernice, Coretta, Martin III, and Yolanda King at home.

Learn about Dexter's life and work here: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-dexter-...

Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Courtesy of the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-highsm-14492.

💫 Today the nation commemorates King's life and enduring legacy. How will you remember King today?

👉 Learn how the King National Holiday came to be: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-nationa...

Photograph of King courtesy of the Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford University Libraries.

Happy birthday to Martin Luther King, Jr.! Today would have been King's 97th birthday. How will you celebrate King today? 🎊

Learn more: kinginstitute.stanford.edu

Claudette Colvin, who refused to move seats on a bus at start of civil rights movement, dies at 86 Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin has died. She was 86. Her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement.

We mourn the passing of Claudette Colvin. At just 15 years old, she refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus and became a key figure in the legal battle that ended bus segregation. May her legacy and her bravery endure for generations.

Photograph of James Farmer courtesy of the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-38689.

Happy birthday to James Farmer, co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality! Farmer was born 106 years ago today.🎊

Learn more: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/farmer-james

Rosa Parks speaks in front of the Alabama State Capitol during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March. Photograph courtesy of the Matt Herron photography archive (M2866). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Rare photographs of Rosa Parks and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March have recently been discovered at Stanford University Library! Researchers found the never-printed images amongst photographer Matt Herron's contact sheets.

Learn more: news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...

Read the full 3 January 1964 article here:

Learn more about Time magazine naming King as 1963's "Man of the Year":

The 3 January 1964 cover of Time magazine names Martin Luther King, Jr. as 1963's "Man of the Year" and features an illustration of King.

"He has an indescribable capacity for empathy that is the touchstone of leadership. By deed and by preachment, he has stirred in his people a Christian forbearance that nourishes hope and smothers injustice."

-"Man of the Year: Never Again Where He Was,” Time magazine, 3 January 1964.

The Mapping MLK Project presents a revolutionary way to visualize King's movements across the globe. Trace his steps from Atlanta to the history books.

👀 Psst.....something NEW is here:

kinginstitute.stanford.edu/mapping-mlk

King accepted the Nobel Peace Prize during a 10 December 1964 ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Learn more here:

King's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize is celebrated at a January 1965 dinner in Atlanta. Photograph courtesy of Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection, 1920-1976, LBSCB12-120d, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.

#OnThisDay in 1964: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up."

Register and learn more here:

The King Institute and the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies present MLK: Live from the Archives. Join us for an exclusive look into Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy through rare archival documents brought to life by Dr. Lerone Martin, director of Stanford's MLK Research and Education Institute. Thursday, January 15th, 2026, 4:30 pm-6:30 pm Simonyi Conference Center, 4th floor CoDa Building, 389 Jane Stanford Way Tour the new MLK Research and Education Institute space Tours available prior to the event, between 2:00 pm-4:00 pm Tour location: The King Institute 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 370 Cosponsored by the Department of African and African American Studies and the School of Humanities and Sciences.

On January 15th, join us for an exclusive look into Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy through rare archival documents brought to life by Dr. Lerone Martin, Director of Stanford's MLK Research & Education Institute!

Read King's full address from the first MIA mass meeting on 5 December 1955: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/...

The image is from the cover of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, a 16-page comic book about the Montgomery bus boycott published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1958. Written by Alfred Hassler and Benton Resnik with illustrations by Sy Barry, the comic helped to disseminate the principles of nonviolent direct action.

#OTD in 1955, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was founded to guide a mass boycott of the city's segregated bus system. As the organization's president, King encouraged all Black citizens to participate, saying, "the great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right."

Photograph of Rosa Parks by Bob Fitch, courtesy of the Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford University Libraries.

70 years ago today, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus.

Learn more here: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/parks-rosa

YouTube video by MLK Jr. Research and Education Institute A Legacy Lives On: The Grand Opening of the New MLK Institute at Stanford!

🎥Watch the grand opening celebration of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University!

This special event featured a panel discussion with Dr. Lerone Martin, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea King, Evan Spiegel, and Marina Limón at Stanford's Memorial Church.

The statement continued: "Therefore, I cannot engage in a public debate with him. I have nothing but sympathy for this man who has served his country so well." Learn more: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/federal-bure...

Photograph of King by Cees de Boer, Noord-Hollands Archief / Fotoburo de Boer.

After FBI director J. Edgar Hoover called him "the most notorious liar in America," King released a 19 November 1964 statement in response: "He has apparently faltered under the awesome burdens, complexities and responsibilities of his office."

Learn more about the Kings' eldest child here: kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-yolanda...

Photograph of Yolanda King in 1968 by Bob Fitch, courtesy of the Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Stanford University Libraries.

🎊Happy birthday to Yolanda Denise King, who would have been 70 today!

📸Bob Fitch Photography Archive, © Stanford University Libraries.

Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks at Stanford in 1967: "If the race problem in America is to be solved, the white person must treat the Negro right not merely because the law says it, but because it's natural, because it's right, and because the Negro is his brother. And so I realize that if we are to have a truly integrated society, men and women will have to rise to the majestic heights of being obedient to the unenforceable." Photograph courtesy of Stanford University Libraries.

Martin Luther King III speaks at Stanford's Memorial Church during the 2025 King Institute grand opening event: "The most important thing that I hope people know and learn is that the vision that he had was inclusive for everyone, no matter who and where you were. And if we could use that model and embrace that model, we really could transform the world for all humankind." Photograph by David Gonzales, @gonzalesphoto.

✨ Two Generations, One Vision ✨

Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks at Stanford University in 1967, and Martin Luther King III speaks at Stanford University in 2025.

🎥 Watch King, Jr.’s powerful 1967 "The Other America" speech: searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1738074

Photograph by David Gonzales. Guests explore the King Institute's exhibit on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life during the open house event.

Photograph by David Gonzales. Guests explore the King Institute's exhibit on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life during the open house event.

Photograph by David Gonzales. Martin Luther King, III, and Arndrea Waters King sign books during the King Institute's open house event.

Photograph by David Gonzales. Guests and volunteers enjoy the reception during the King Institute's open house event.

After the panel discussion at Stanford University's Memorial Church, guests were invited back to the King Institute for tours and a reception in our new space as well as a book signing with the Kings. Thank you to all who celebrated with us! 🎉

📷: David Gonzales @gonzalesphoto

Photograph by David Gonzales. Stanford University President Jonathan Levin speaks with guests outside of Stanford's Memorial Church.

Photograph by David Gonzales. School of the Humanities and Sciences Dean Debra Satz speaks at Stanford's Memorial Church for the King Institute's grand opening celebration.

Photograph by David Gonzales. Evan Spiegel speaks during the panel discussion within Stanford's Memorial Church.

Photograph by David Gonzales. Martin Luther King, III, speaks during the panel discussion within Stanford's Memorial Church.

We were also honored to receive congratulations and words of encouragement from Stanford University President Jonathan Levin and School of the Humanities & Sciences Dean Debra Satz, who shared their aspirations for the King Institute's future.

📷: David Gonzales @gonzalesphoto