Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


2025 MLK Week Events

MLK Week Teach-In
Tuesday, Jan. 21 - 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Wentz Science Center, 2nd floor, Stevenson Hall (West and Center sections)

Co-sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement and Belonging and Center for Social Impact, this teach-in will honor the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by gathering together NCC scholars and students to learn and talk about social justice. This year's topic is drawn from the title of Rev. King's final book: “Where Do We Go From Here?"

Faculty presenters:

  • Dr. Sohinee Roy, “Love, Agapé, and Reconciliation”
  • Dr. Megan Paustian, “Writing Lessons from Dr King”
  • Dr. Jennifer Shah, “2K25: Knowledge brokering, Kinkeeping, and Moving Forward”
  • Dr. Chandreyee Mitra, “Science and Justice, Past and Future”


Community Conversation: Be Seen, Be Heard
Wednesday, Jan. 22 - 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Res/Rec, 3rd floor

Hosted and sponsored as a collaboration by the Center for Social Impact, the Center for Global Education, and the Office of Student Engagement and Belonging, this event will give students a forum to talk about current events and the current moment in global history. It will be a student-led, student-centered discussion on topics of social importance.

The goal is to bring the entire NCC community together — especially international students, folks with marginalized and minoritized identities — to share out and share in our thoughts, concerns, and hopes for the future. Resources and information for wellness, involvement, and belonging will be provided.


MLK at North Central College in 1960

MLK's Historic Visit to North Central College

“I have thought about you and the North Central College community since I visited there some months ago. I will always remember the rewarding experience that was mine at that time.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a note to Arlo L. Schilling, the seventh president of North Central College (pictured left, with King)


North Central College’s rich history includes hosting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on campus during a pivotal period when King was traveling across the North building support for the Civil Rights Movement.

Rev. George St. Angelo '43, College Chaplain from 1955 to 1966, had invited King to visit campus to speak and meet with students. King was 31 years old and co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He was also president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was at the forefront of the civil rights movement.

St. Angelo’s invitation culminated on Nov. 21, 1960, when King traveled to Naperville and spoke twice on the North Central campus — first at a morning prayer breakfast and then at Pfeiffer Hall, which still houses the podium from which he spoke.

No archive of the two speeches exists. However, after speaking on campus, King met with Arlo L. Schilling, the seventh president of North Central College. That moment was captured in a photograph that is housed in the North Central College archives. Schilling, who had been inaugurated earlier that year, would go on to lead North Central for 15 years, including through the turbulent 1960s.

In a note dated Sept. 6, 1961, King wrote to Schilling and recalled his visit to North Central: “I have thought about you and the North Central College community since I visited there some months ago. I will always remember the rewarding experience that was mine at that time.”

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, North Central College encourages the Cardinal community to seek out opportunities to honor King’s life and legacy through celebration and service, and by reflecting on how each of us can play a part in promoting positive social change.