2025 MLK Jr. Day Pamphlet

The Arcadia University Athletics Department is once again taking part in Arcadia University's MLK Day Celebrations. To help honor MLK Jr.'s legacy and to help educate the public on his impact, we asked the teams competing this week to spotlight a text or speech from MLK during their game. Here are the works from the reverend they selected, along with their explanations as to why:
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
1/25 vs Lebanon Valley – 2:00pm
 
The Arcadia women's basketball team has chosen "Why We Can't Wait", a book written by Dr. King in 1963, based on the Birmingham Campaign which occurred that year and led to Dr. King's arrest. At the time, Birmingham was one of the most segregated locations in the country, and Dr. King and others led a major protest campaign that drew international attention which led to the desegregation of the city and freeing of all jailed protestors. In the book, Dr. King wrote, "Three hundred years of humiliation and deprivation cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper… Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals."
 
The team said they chose to highlight this text because, "It reminds us of the enduring power of nonviolence and collective action in the fight for justice. His leadership in the Birmingham Campaign proved that oppression can be overcome with courage and dignity, inspiring us to continue striving for equality despite opposition and, or resistance."
 
 
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING
1/25 vs Immaculata – 11:00am
 
The Arcadia men's and women's swim teams have selected King's "Speech at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis". Dr. King was a Baptist minister and pastor, and accordingly gave many speeches in churches and cathedrals throughout his life. In this speech, he spoke to an overflowing crowd about how the civil rights bill of 1964 was the most important thing that the U.S. Congress needed to address. Dr, King also cautioned against violent resistance but noted that it became harder to stave off violence the longer that Southern states took to get on board with the bill. In the speech, Dr. King said, "We must all learn to live together as brothers - or we will all perish as fools… the Lord will see us through… We must not use second-class methods to attain first-class citizenship."
 
They chose this quote because, "the unity and uplifting aspects of our team environment are embodied in the message of this quote. We support each other not just in the pool, weight room, and classroom, but in all aspects of our lives."
 
 
MEN'S ICE HOCKEY
1/25 vs King's College (Pa.) – 3:30pm
 
The Arcadia men's and women's swim teams have selected King's "Speech at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis". Dr. King was a Baptist minister and pastor, and accordingly gave many speeches in churches and cathedrals throughout his life. In this speech, he spoke to an overflowing crowd about how the civil rights bill of 1964 was the most important thing that the U.S. Congress needed to address. Dr, King also cautioned against violent resistance but noted that it became harder to stave off violence the longer that Southern states took to get on board with the bill. In the speech, Dr. King said, "We must all learn to live together as brothers - or we will all perish as fools… the Lord will see us through… We must not use second-class methods to attain first-class citizenship."
 
The team shared that they selected this quote because of "the constant division [they] see in society today. Stemming from politicians, government agencies, and everyday individuals, and even institutions. This quote speaks to the fact that alone we will fail. It is only once we listen and understand one another, that we can achieve success, and move forward."
 
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
1/25 vs Lebanon Valley – 4:00pm
 
The Arcadia men's basketball team selected MLK's "Stride Toward Freedom". This book was written by MLK in 1958 as a memoir of the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56, a yearlong boycott of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama that was organized in response to segregation laws in the South. It recounts how Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, which led to her subsequent arrest and helped spark the civil rights movement. In the book, King described the conditions in Montgomery leading up to the boycott, and consolidated his fundamental philosophy of nonviolence into 6 parts.
 
"It is evil that the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil…at the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love…Love, agape, is the only cement that can hold this broken community together. When I am commanded to love, I am commanded to restore community, to resist injustice, and to meet the needs of my people."
 
 
The team selected this passage because, "These words by MLK fully represent what kind of heart he had and what he stood for. Not only for the oppression of black people back then as well as many other problems in that era/time period, but this quote and approach still stands for what we see and face today. That's how we will continue to get somewhere."
 
 
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
1/25 at Widener University – 12:00pm
 
The Arcadia men's and women's indoor track and field teams have chosen "Why We Can't Wait", a book written by Dr. King in 1963, based on the Birmingham Campaign which occurred that year and led to Dr. King's arrest. At the time, Birmingham was one of the most segregated locations in the country, and Dr. King and others led a major protest campaign that drew international attention which led to the desegregation of the city and freeing of all jailed protestors. In the book, Dr. King wrote, "Three hundred years of humiliation and deprivation cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper… Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals."

They selected this text because, "This speech resonated with us because MLK was able to achieve something groundbreaking in Birmingham by desegregating the city. Our team felt that it represented how even when facing harsh adversity one should always pursue justice."