By Guy Page

There is no clear record that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ever visited Vermont. He came close May 23, 1962 when he delivered a speech at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, entitled “Towards Freedom.”

In his speech – captured in text and some audio by Dartmouth University and covered recently by Jack Thurston of NBC5 – King said, “We have come a long, long way. But we have a long, long way to go”.

When the civil rights leader spoke to a packed house in Dartmouth in 1962, still in the much-anticipated future was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, eventually passed after 57 days of debate in the U.S. Senate. Opposition was led by southern Democrats. Both Vermont senators – George Aikin and Winston Prouty – voted yes. The bill finally passed on July 2, 1964, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This significant achievement in the civil rights movement. This landmark legislation aimed to end segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination.

Two excerpts from King’s Dartmouth speech depict a pre-Civil Rights Act America that in some ways resembles our nation almost 64 years later – and in some ways, perhaps not. 

Communication:

“Men often hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they can’t communicate with each other, and they can’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other. And I think one of the great tragedies of life is that more often men seek to live in monologue rather than dialogue.” 

On Religion:

We must face the appalling fact that all over the United States men stand at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning to sing,“In Christ there is no East or West.” They stand in the most segregated aisles ofAmerica. The church is the most segregated, major institution in the United States; and the most segregated school of the week is the Sunday school. This means that all too many Christians have had a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.” 

Voting:

He described “conniving methods” used to prevent registration, such as impossible literacy tests where applicants were asked, “How many bubbles do you find in a bar of soap?”. Today, liberals and Democrats declare that voter ID is a similar tactic to marginalize black voters, who they presume include more citizens unable to produce identification. Conservatives and Republicans dispute that narrative, saying instead that voter ID is not racially-motivated, nor would it impact the outcome of elections in racial representation.

Economic Inequality: 

He pointed out that in 1962, 42 percent of African American families earned less than $2,000 a year compared to 16 percent of white families. For whatever reason, disparity continues. In 2025, the median income for Black households was approximately $56,020, while for non-Hispanic White households, it was about $92,530, indicating a significant income gap of around 60.5% between the two groups, online sources say. Also, black families have less saved for retirement than white families. 

The MLK Holiday

The third Monday in January is observed as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday. A bill signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 established the federal holiday “to be a time for Americans to reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr.” 

In 1984, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission was created to encourage activities commemorating the holiday throughout the United States. President Reagan delivered the remarks “Message on the Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day” on January 14, 1986, and issued a proclamation on January 18, 1986, as part of the first recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday.

When President Bill Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act  in 1994, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission was charged with encouraging observation of the holiday as a day of community service. That’s the same year MLK Day became an official State of Vermont holiday, too. While the federal commission dissolved in 1996, the day remains both a state and federal holiday, with many observances focusing on community service, interracial cooperation, and youth antiviolence initiatives.

In practice, many private sector employers treat MLK Day as a ‘floating holiday,’ on the list of holidays from which some but not all are guaranteed days off.