Oakton to host 'Echoes of Dr. King' salute

In the 50 years since his death, the words of Martin Luther King Jr. have resounded with Americans. Nationally-acclaimed civil rights advocate George D. Arnold will bring those words to life at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, at Oakton Community College's Student Center, 1600 E. Golf Road Des Plaines.

The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by Oakton's Center for Campus Inclusion and Diversity, Office of Student Life and Office of Access, Equity and Inclusion.

Dedicated to keeping King's memory alive, Arnold will present "Echoes of Dr. King." For nearly 50 years, he has delivered this tribute, reciting King's speeches and letters to more than 1,500 schools, churches and civic organizations.

"George Arnold brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his work with Dr. King and also while serving our country in the armed forces," says Director of Student Life and Campus Inclusion Rick Daniels.

"The Oakton Community College community is elated to have Mr. Arnold visit our campus, and this will be an event to remember."

Arnold has delivered King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the dedication of the chapel at Morehouse College, King's alma mater in Atlanta. Also, he has recited King's "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" address for 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.

Arnold was born in Indianola, Mississippi, where the White Citizens Council, an opponent of integration, was founded. His family moved to Rockford in 1941, and Arnold enlisted in the Air Force in 1954. He later joined the Housing and Urban Development Administration as a human services worker.

Arnold also has served as the head of labor relations and manager of human resources for Bendix Communications Corporation and worked for Kurt Schmoke, the first black mayor of Baltimore.