On September 22, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a crowd of approximately 500 people at the Michaelmas Convocation, an annual ceremony that recognizes Saint Peter’s students for outstanding academic achievement. During his visit to the Jersey City campus, Dr. King was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws and Letters degree, the first offered by a Jesuit college or university.

According to an account in the Pauw Wow, Dr. King spoke against segregation and violence, and despite setbacks in the civil rights movement, King expressed optimism. “Although some will be scared, lose jobs and be called bad names, our problems will be solved,” King said. “We shall overcome.”

Now, on September 22, 2015, Saint Peter’s University remembers and celebrates the 50th Anniversary of this momentous occasion.