Martin Luther King Jr.
On Jan. 21, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a crowd of 8,000 in Rec Hall as part of his efforts to draw national attention to the need for voting rights reforms that would prevent discrimination against African Americans. Dr. King's powerful non-violent message helped to spur passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, widely considered the most successful piece of U.S. Civil Rights legislation.