Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his one and only appearance in Maine when he spoke at Bowdoin College in 1964. Telling the gathered crowd of 1100 people, "The realist would agree with the optimist that we have come a long, long way. But we would seek to balance that by agreeing with the pessimist that we have a long, long way to go..."
On this holiday, we remember the man who symbolized the iconic struggle for equality amongst all Americans. Part of the power of a democratic society is that this struggle knows no end; it endures as a lasting testament to the fire of liberty that burns within each of us. Dr. King gave voice to a movement that continues to touch the heart of America to this very day.