- To the funeral on Martin Luther King yesterday and the official representative of the university and I was asked to say a word or two on my experiences or my observations. That I am delighted to do. Just that it is, it is hard to believe that Martin Luther King is dead. It is just so difficult to believe that a movement for our social justice and equality, a movement to create the beloved community is alive here at Duke. The light from your candle, I can assure you, is reducing the darkness in this world. This is a great moment. Like Martin Luther King, my eyes physically now have some vision of the glory of the coming of social justice to this country because of you. Martin Luther King would call you drum majors and majorettes for justice and humanity and great witnesses for the beloved community. I do not know if you realize the ultimate significance of what you're doing. I haven't seen anything like it. I've been involved in quite a few civil rights activities in my life, but I haven't seen anything anywhere comparable to this. You would expect, of course, the victims of oppression to sacrifice, to take the hearts on, to take the rein, to expose their health, to do everything possible to remove the yolk of injustice and prejudice, but you do not expect people born of privilege to undergo this kind of harsh treatment. This is one of the things, I think, that will help to redeem this country and help create people of community. This is magnificent. You are making profound history. Congratulations on your intelligence, your determination, your dignity, and your good faith. Your methods are as noble as your goals. When 15, 20, 25 years from now, you see your life pass in review, you see a play by of your existence, you might be proud of what you are doing now because you are going to know in your heart that you made a profound contribution to the transformation of the institution and equality of American culture. Our course here is right. Make no mistake about it. The university administration has taken the wrong side of a great moral issue. You are standing for the highest good and the public interests, including Duke's interest. Duke's interest cannot be different from that of justice and equality, the best in the American tradition. The intransigent of whoever ran this university is typical of the insensitivity and the arrogance of male power. Somehow, they are insensitive to the deeper dimensions of the problem. But this is an old story of the struggle of men to be free and to challenge the existing structure. I have just one comment to make about Dr. King's funeral. The only thing I have to say about my experiences there is that your commitment and behavior here made the experience more bearable, ethical and meaningful and less tragic. As I saw from afar, the casket carried his lifeless body, I was sustained by the knowledge of the 1,000 and more bodies full of life, integrity, and vision were carried on his legacy on the spirit and in conformity with his ideals and his methods. I was uplifted by the fact that you had made his mission your very own and I'm sure that Martin Luther King would be proud, mighty proud of you. Your vigil here wiped my tears and helped to sustain me and provided even at a tragic moment (mumbles) for myself. What is involved in this movement? Is the character of America's future. What kind of society are we going to have? Are we to have a free and open society or are we to have chaos and confusion, and a society using, really, police methods. What we are witnessing here with reference to the curfew is something of the police state methods and they're going to increase unless America solve this problem. The other night, a few minutes after the announcement of the assassination of Martin Luther King, a great soul, John Strange, came in our house. John said to me, "Sam, how much more can you take? "Can you take anymore? "Haven't you taken enough?" I reflected. My mind roamed over in a split second the pilgrimage of my people since 1619. I wanted to give a religious answer. I couldn't. How could I say anything in the name of God when Martin Luther King, a good man, a great soul, had been assassinated? I struggle over alternatives, but that didn't satisfy me. I've been haunted by that question. John Strange, I think I have the answer now. I can go on affirming life, Negroes can go on affirming life because of people like you and because of people like you. This provides hope and succor to my spirit. You are creating that kind of community where in the days ahead after this long night of separation and misunderstanding, you and I, white and black together, can shout from the mountaintops and the valleys of our inner being and say what is inscribed on Martin Luther King's grave. We are free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last. 

- As you know, I am here because Doug Knight's health is such that it makes it inadvisable for him to be present himself. He's, as you may recall, suffered a severe case of hepatitis last fall, has scheduled in recent weeks, has exceeded any reasonable limit for someone recovering from that illness. I understand that the normal recovery period continues for at least a year and sometimes a great deal longer. During that period, both fatigue and stress must be avoided. Failure to do this involves serious risk. Dr. Knight is crucially important to this university. He is now in the Duke Hospital, having been brought there today. His condition is a matter of deep concern to his doctors as well as to ourselves. I am sure that you too must share this feeling. This is a time of great national concern over many long existing problems in our society, a time of real national turmoil. I realize your deep concern with respect to the human issues which have now so intensely been brought into focus both here and elsewhere. I personally share this concern with you. Our nation is in the throes of great trouble and we who care must work, must work much harder than we have in the past to solve the problems that face us. Duke University has its own responsibilities in this effort. Now let me comment on the request you have made of President Knight. I think the crucial, the central, most important issue with which we are faced and one to which we must respond is the financial situation of our non-academic employees. We recognized this in 1965 and felt that we then should start to move forward with those employees. Since 1966, we have increased wages an average of nearly 20%, shortened work weeks, improved fringe benefits, liberalized overtime provisions, and implemented training programs to upgrade employee skills, thereby increasing their individual opportunities. I cite these as evidence as our own desire to improve the wellbeing and financial states of our non-academic employees. One of you request that Dr. Knight was that he pressed for the $1.60 minimum wage for Duke employees. I know that he is just as interested in such a wage as you are, and so am I. The present federal minimum wage for most business and commercial organizations is $1.60. For universities and colleges, however, it is $1.15 and will not go to the $1.60 figure until 1971, about three years from now. We will be at the $1.60 minimum rate by July 1, 1969 and we shall make a significant step toward this by July 1 of this year. This is going to cost a great deal of money. As a practical matter, it will require increased income and a reexamination of many of the operations and activities of this university. Now President Knight, in his chapel, addressed last Saturday, spoke of the appointment of a committee to consider and I quote, "those developments which will serve us best "in this great university." The membership and scope of that committee will be determined by President Knight upon his return to his office. The other request you presented to Dr. Knight are, as I'm sure you recognize, of a personal nature and can be answered only by him. And now let me return briefly to my earlier comments. I am sure that at this time of personal anguish and national turmoil, Duke University has a special role to play. I want it to fulfill this role and to realize its capacities for leadership. This, I am sure, is also your hope. We cannot achieve this premise divided among ourselves, but we can together. I am confident that we, together, can find ways of working with mutual confidence and respect and thereby, arrive at the goals that we all seek. Thank you very, very much for letting me be here with you.