When Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walked Cincinnati
By: Cordel George, Manager, Volunteer and Intern Services
When thinking of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we often imagine protest demonstrations in the South or his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, not him in Cincinnati, leaving a meaningful mark on our city. Dr. King walked, spoke, strategized, and inspired right here. From 1957 - 1968, he traveled more than six million miles, and his connection to Cincinnati spanned across a decade. Each visit revealed different facets of his leadership. Cincinnati was not merely a stop on a national tour for justice; it was a place where King built relationships, fueled local activism, and challenged locals to rise to their highest ideals.
Dr. King’s first documented visit occurred in 1958, shortly after his rise to national prominence following the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On his 29th birthday, he spoke at Walnut Hills High School as part of the Jewish Community Center Forum. He returned on June 16, 1959, to speak at Emery Theater in support of Theodore Berry’s City Council campaign, while also encouraging voter registration. King’s next visit solidified Cincinnati as a regional hub for social justice. In 1962, he preached at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Woodlawn and Zion Baptist Church in Avondale, strengthening alliances with local leaders including Reverend L.V. Booth, founder of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During these sermons, King denounced discrimination within Cincinnati’s City Council. That same visit included time spent at the Mount Auburn home of Robert and Louise Shropshire, with Louise Shropshire credited for creating the basis of the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” through her song, “If My Jesus Wills.”
Available information suggests King returned in 1963 to participate in Cincinnati’s March and Vote for Jobs and Freedom. However, this appears to be inaccurate, as he was preaching in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the same time.
The most notable year of King’s Cincinnati visits was 1964, when he made at least four appearances. On May 8, he delivered his speech, “The Great Revolution,” at the African Methodist Episcopal Convention held at Cincinnati Gardens. On September 27, he spoke at Music Hall in support of President Lyndon B. Johnson, reportedly campaigning the preceding weekend by riding through the West End in the bed of a pickup truck. Perhaps the most extraordinary moment came on October 22, when King led a motorcade through Avondale, Cumminsville, Lockland, Madisonville, and Walnut Hills alongside civil rights leaders Roy Wilkens, Whitney Young, John Lewis, James Farmer, and A. Philip Randolph, collectively known as the “Big Six.” Evidence also suggests King may have spent Thanksgiving week in Cincinnati, preaching at Zion Baptist Church on November 22, before departing for Dayton on November 29.
King’s final Cincinnati appearances occurred in June 1967 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Lockland and again from September 6 -10 at the Annual Progressive National Baptist Convention held at the Netherland Hotel. King’s Cincinnati visits prove national movements are established locally, through relationships, courage, and continuous action.
