Do You Remember Martin Luther King Jr.'s Visit to Berkeley?

Where were you on May 17, 1967?

If you were anywhere near UC Berkeley, you'll remember a historic visit: Martin Luther King Jr. speaking out against the Vietnam War from the steps of Sproul Plaza. The crowd was 7,000 strong.

"This war has all the dimensions of a Greek tragedy," said King. 

The 1968 presidential election was on the horizon, and on this day, a man in the audience presented King with a petition urging him to run for office, stating that Americans who opposed the war wanted the chance to vote for an anti-war candidate. "Doctor King, will you be our candidate in 1968?" the man asked.

"I must say that it's very kind of you to even express such concern and make such a request," replied King. "...I do not feel that I'm presidential timber. I am committed to trying to do this job of civil rights and this job of building wherever we can more opposition to the war in Vietnam, and this would certainly take all of my time. I would rather think of myself as one trying desperately to be the conscience of all the political parties, rather than being a political candidate."

Listen to an excerpt of King's 1967 UC Berkeley speech by visiting American Public Media's "King's Last March" project.

Do you remember MLK's visit to Berkeley in May 1967? Share your experience in the comments. Did you take pictures? Upload them by clicking "add photos & video" below.