Glenville High School

Invited to speak at three Cleveland high schools, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his powerful “Rise Up!” speech to students at Glenville High School on April 26, 1967. It signaled King’s opening drive to elect African Americans to prominent government positions in northern cities. Encouraging students to “develop a sense of somebodiness,” King challenged them to “work passionately and unrelentingly for first-class citizenship.” Recognizing the fear of racial unrest in the city, King underscored the significance of nonviolence. “Our power lies in our ability to say non-violently that we’re not going to take it any longer,” he asserted. Making Carl Stokes’ mayoral bid the focus of his push for Black voters to elect Black leaders, King urged Glenville’s students to join civil rights organizations and community action programs. (Continued on other side)

[Side B]: (Continued from other side) In one of his most beautiful and powerful speeches, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. urged Glenville students to participate in making Cleveland the first major U.S. city to elect a Black mayor. He implored, “Each of you should serve as a committee of one to work with your parents if they have not registered to vote and other people in the community.” He reminded students that “Freedom is never voluntarily given to the oppressed by the oppressor. It must be demanded.” Calling them to action, Dr. King proclaimed: “We’ve got to organize so effectively and so well and engage in such powerful, creative protest that there will not be a power in the world that can stop us and that can afford to ignore us.”