As we gather to honor Dr. King today, we remember his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. On the annual celebration of Martin Luther King’s life and legacy, we re-read his great essay on justice, and are again moved and motivated by it.

Each time we read this reflection and call to action, we experience new insights and deeper meaning. 

Every time we reflect on this letter, we are reminded to judge the present in the light of eternal principles, and to change society to conform to its true purpose.

Key to today’s celebration and to our recognition of Dr. King’s contributions, is our renewed commitment to establish a world in which all respect the dignity and worth of human persons. 

Freedom is a human right as the eternal will of God, yet all humans are not yet free as God created them to be.

Dr. King’s messages remind us of Carlow University’s core values: sacredness of creation, including the sacredness of all humans; discovery; intellectual integrity; leadership; hospitality; service; and student progress.

Dr. King calls us to live those values as the path to knowledge and justice. 

He reminds us in the citation in our program: education shapes the leaders who will shape the future.

That is our mission at Carlow University, and it is our call today as we gather to honor Dr. King and to commit to his legacy of ethical serving leadership.

I welcome you to our current celebration, and to our continuing quest.

-- Dr. Mary Hines, President, Carlow University

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