01.15.2024

SUBSCRIBE | REFER

Today’s Forecast

0º | Mostly sunny | 6% chance of snow | Sunrise 7:26 a.m. | Sunset 4:47 p.m.

MLK in the 608

When Martin Luther King Jr. visited Madison

Martin Luther King during the March on Washington.jpg

Martin Luther King, Jr. visited UW-Madison twice to give lectures on Civil Rights. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons

March 30, 1962. It was a cold day. 37 degrees, but Madisonians were warmed with the world’s goings-on. “Hey! Baby” was on the radio, “Bonanza” was on TV, and local sports fans were still marveling over Wilt Chamberlain’s recent 100-point game against the Knicks.

Martin Luther King Jr., a 33-year-old preacher from Atlanta, spoke to a capacity crowd at Madison’s Union Theater.

“Segregation is on its deathbed,” the young civil rights activist said, “and the only problem is how expensive the nation will make its funeral.”

The visit was a long time coming. King was originally invited to the UW-Madison campus in 1961. It didn’t come to fruition; waylaid because he was arrested for protesting segregation in Georgia. So, he came in 1962 as part of a lecture series put on by the Union Forum Committee.

A year and a half later, Martin Luther King Jr. would give his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

MLK Statue at Morehouse College, Atlanta.jpeg — Martin Luther King, Jr. last spoke in Madison on November 23, 1965. | Photo by 608today

He would return to Madison, and the college campus, in 1965. The newly-awarded Nobel Peace Prize winner took to the stage of the Stock Pavilion. The crowd, some 2,500-plus, was enthusiastic to hear King’s speech.

“We find ourselves standing on the threshold of the most creative period in the development of race relations in the history of our nation,” King said. “We have moved through the wilderness of ‘separate but equal,’ and now we stand on the border of the promised land of integration.”

The speech discussed the importance of nonviolent protests, the problems still facing the Civil Rights Movement, and hope for humanity. “A piece of freedom is not enough for us as human beings,” he said. “A piece of liberty no longer suffices. Freedom is like life. Freedom is one thing. It is indivisible. You have it all or you are not free.”

More history + how to honor MLK today

Events

Monday, Jan. 15

Be Brave Blood Drive | Monday, Jan. 15 | 12-5 p.m. | St. Patrick Catholic Church, 434 N. Main St., Cottage Grove | Free | Give a pint of blood, get a pint of Culver’s custard.

Tuesday, Jan. 16

Luck is a State of Mind | Tuesday, Jan. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Overture Center, 201 State St., Madison | $25-$65 | Hear the stories of some of Pulitzer Prize winner Deanne Fitzmaurice’s finest photographs.
Robert Ellis | Tuesday, Jan. 16 | 8-11 p.m. | The Bur Oak, 2262 Winnebago St., Madison | $20-$25 | Listen to this hot Texas-based singer-songwriter in the cold of a Wisconsin winter.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

Central Cinema Cinesthesia presents “Strange Days” | Wednesday, Jan. 17 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., Madison | Free | Watch what City Editor Jonathan considers to be one of the most underrated movies of the 90s, one directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

Thursday, Jan. 18

Wild Wonders: Animal Tracking | Thursday, Jan. 18 | 5-7 p.m. | Madison Children’s Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St., Madison | Free with museum admission | Can you and your kids tell the difference between a raccoon’s footprint and a cat’s?
Safe Path to Home Ownership | Thursday, Jan. 18 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Stark Company Realtors, 2980 Arapaho Dr., Madison | Free | Are you LGBTQ+ and looking to buy a home? Start here.

Friday, Jan. 19

Mo Onions - An Otis Redding Celebration | Friday, Jan. 19 | 8-11 p.m. | The Bur Oak, 2262 Winnebago St., Madison | $12-$15 | Otis Redding may have died in Madison, but his music lives on.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Sports

The Green Bay Packers showed no love to the Dallas Cowboys. Jordan Love, Aaron Jones, and the rest of the team crushed the Cowboys 48-32 in yesterday’s NFL wild card game. The Packers will next play the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Jan 20 at 7:00 p.m. (Packers News)

Festival

Whether the lake freezes over by then, no matter. Snow, wind, rain, or shine, the 84th Winter Carnival at the Wisconsin Union will go on. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7 through Saturday, Feb. 10. (Channel 3000)

Biz

Smart Motors, one of Madison’s largest car dealerships, and one of the country’s oldest, has been sold. Smart Motors started selling Studebakers in the 1950s and would later become Wisconsin’s first Toyota dealership in the 1960s. It’s been sold to Baxter Auto Group out of Nebraska. (Wisconsin Business Journal)

Civic

Congratulations, Freddie and Zeke. The two Belgian Malinois dogs recently got their K-9 badges from the Madison Police Department. Altogether, the department now has seven dogs in their K-9 unit. (WKOW)

Outdoors

This weekend made it clear that winter is here. Luckily, there’s plenty of snowy fun to be had at local parks. For cross-country skiers, there are a variety of options. Ski permits are required at Door Creek Park, Elver Park, and Odana Hills Golf Course.

Community

Submissions for our 2023 608today Picture of the Year contest close Wednesday, Jan. 17. Submit a local photo that you took in 2023 and we’ll give you a discount code to shop at our online marketplace, Six & Main. Plus, the contest winner will receive a $25 Six & Main gift card.

Giveaway

Make a donation towards veterans’ and children’s charities + you could win a RAM 3500 HD truck in the Big Diesel Truck Dream Giveaway. Double your entries with code 6AMCITY.*

Business

Support our local cash cow

Wisconsin’s family-owned dairy farmers need our support

Wisconsin is No. 2 in the nation in milk production. | Photo by 608today

There are approximately 150,000 cows in Dane County. They reside on about 170 dairy farms, according to state records. That seems like a good amount of dairy farms, but recent trends are troubling.

According to statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the state of Wisconsin lost 455 dairy farms in 2023.

The Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin note that our state is No. 2 in the nation in milk production and produces half of the state’s $104.8 billion agricultural economy.

There are a variety of things one can do to support our local farmers:

Visit one.
Purchase your dairy from grocery stores that purchase locally, such as Metro Market, Willy Street Co-Op, and Woodman’s Food Market.
Experience a local dairy event like an annual dairy breakfast.
Join or support organizations that support dairy farmers, such as the FFA and 4-H.
Eat a lot of cheese.

The Buy

The Buy 1.15.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

Kitsch’s rice bar shampoo and conditioner. Reviewers noticed touchably soft hair and even improvements in hair loss, plus the bar is plastic-free thanks to its intelligently concentrated design.

Share 608today

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Have someone who needs to stay in the know? Get amazing rewards for every new subscriber you bring by sharing your unique referral link (below).

Facebook

Twitter

{{profile.vars.rh_totref_4}} friends are tapped into all things local because of you.

Claim your rewards

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jonathan

From the editor

Before becoming a Madisonian, I lived in Atlanta, the home of Martin Luther King, Jr. Visiting the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church he was pastor of, is still one of the most moving experiences of my life. If you are ever down South, visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.

Screenshot 2024-01-11 at 5.12.41 PM.jpeg

Missed our previous newsletter?

›

Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY