Fort Wayne History Center opens MLK exhibit

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 visit to Fort Wayne is featured in a new exhibit at the city’s History Center.

The exhibit called “Civil Rights in Fort Wayne: A Photographic Perspective” includes newspaper photos of King’s June 5, 1963, address to an interracial audience at the former Scottish Rite auditorium in downtown Fort Wayne.

Historian Peggy Seigel tells WANE-TV King was only 34 when he visited Fort Wayne, but he had already built a national reputation. His appearance was arranged by a group of church and civic leaders.

Photos also depict protesters and the Freedom Schools that were founded to protest the Fort Wayne Community Schools segregated classrooms.