Vincent Harding Discusses Martin Luther King's Legacy

On Wednesday, February 20th, Dr. Vincent Harding, of the Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver, presented an evening lecture, entitled “The Last Years of King and the Future of Democracy in America.” The lecture was the second in a series made possible by the New York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues. Dr. Harding, a former close associate of Martin Luther King's, focused on Dr. King's post-1963 "I Have a Dream" years. From then until his assassination on April 4, 1967, Dr. King reached out to embrace not only the fight for civil rights, but also the the fight against poverty. He also lived his message of nonviolence by opposing the Vietnam War. Dr. Harding challenged the audience of City College students and faculty and community members to remember and honor Dr. King's legacy through their own activism.  

Dr. Harding is the author of numerous books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero and There is a River, a chronicle of black resistance to slavery. He founded the Veterans of Hope Project, an effort to document the experiences of civil rights "veterans". Dr. Harding also was the senior academic adviser to the PBS series Eyes on the Prize. His lecture is the second in a series of events sponsored by the New York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues.