June 15, 1964
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Martin Luther King, Jr., “received his honorary doctorate on June 15, 1964, along with Averell Harriman, Philip Jessup, Sargent Shriver Jr. ‘38, ‘41LLB, Alfred Lunt, and Lynn Fontanne. It was a beautiful and peaceful day. The text of King’s citation ran: As your eloquence has kindled the nation’s sense of outrage, so your steadfast refusal to countenance violence in resistance to injustice has heightened our sense of national shame. When outrage and shame together shall one day have vindicated the promise of legal, social, and economic opportunity for all citizens, the gratitude of peoples everywhere and of generations of Americans yet unborn will echo our admiration as we proudly confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Laws. It was on this day, also, that Brewster broke with academic tradition by advising the honorees, not that they had earned “the rights and privileges” of the Yale degree, but that they had earned its “rights and responsibilities.” King received the Nobel Peace Prize later in 1964.”—Yale Alumni Magazine
