A sermon on America’s moral and social “midnight” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59)—will be the theme of his alma mater’s annual commemoration of the civil rights leader on January 25. King announced the donation of some of his papers to Boston University at a press conference at BU on September 11, 1964 (above). Photo by Boston University Photography

University News

BU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance to Focus on Our Collective “Midnight”

Annual event, cohosted by the city of Boston, takes place Saturday, January 25; best-selling author and poet Cole Arthur Riley to speak

For only the third time ever, Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincides with a presidential inauguration this year. (Bill Clinton in 1997 and Barack Obama in 2013 were the others.) To avoid being overshadowed by the events in Washington, BU’s commemoration of its most famous alumnus will be held Saturday, January 25, keynoted by best-selling author and poet Cole Arthur Riley.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is cosponsored with the city of Boston. It will be held in the Metcalf Ballroom at the George Sherman Union (775 Commonwealth Ave.) from noon to 1:30 pm. 

The theme of the observance is “The Darkness of Midnight,” drawn from “A Knock at Midnight,” a sermon King (GRS’55, Hon.’59) delivered in 1958 and revised in 1962. His meditation pivoted off a parable in Luke’s Gospel in which a person, roused at midnight by a friend in need of bread, provides it. 

“It is also midnight in our world today,” King preached, from the “bloody, costly” Vietnam War to turmoil in the Middle East. “The late President Kennedy was right: mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” The civil rights leader also warned of a moral and individual “midnight,” where “so many people have lost faith in themselves. They’ve lost faith in their neighbors. They’ve lost faith in God.” 

King turned personal to exhort his listeners to hope: “Living with all kinds of abuse and criticism and misunderstanding, I feel discouraged sometimes. I go on back and listen to all of that verse, sometimes I feel discouraged and feel my works in vain. But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.”

“In this sermon, King thematically uses ‘the darkness of midnight’ and ‘a persistent knock’ to illuminate the social, political, psychological, and moral darkness of his era,” says Nick Bates, director of BU’s Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, one of the cosponsors of BU’s annual MLK Day commemoration.

“In addition to critiquing his time, King offers a powerful critique of the church, imploring religious institutions to become transformative forces by providing spiritual guidance to a populace navigating a society in moral decay.”

If this isn’t among King’s more famous discourses, that’s intentional. “Each year,” says Bates, “we highlight different attributes, philosophies, and understandings of King, emphasizing his speeches, sermons, writings, and book chapters that are often overlooked.”

Bates also will address Saturday’s gathering. Others from the BU community who will speak or offer readings include President Melissa L. Gilliam, Mariaelena Suazo Rosario (CGS’26), and Bermina Chery (CAS’26). Segun Idowu, Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, will also speak. There will be a concluding musical performance by Boston’s Hamilton-Garrett Youth Choir.

Riley’s This Here Flesh (2022) and last year’s Black Liturgies became New York Times bestsellers. She has written for The Atlantic, Guernica, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post. In addition, she is curator at the Center for Dignity & Contemplation, an Ithaca, N.Y., group offering retreats, archived materials, spiritual direction, and other resources promoting nonviolence and inclusiveness.

The observance will include a brief conversation between Riley and Shively T. J. Smith, an associate professor of New Testament and director of the doctoral program at the School of Theology.

The King event’s other sponsors are the University’s Dean of Students office, Government & Community Affairs office, and BU Libraries. The latter is offering tours of its King archive that day, January 25; register here.