Martin Luther King Jr. stood 5’6,” weighed only 140 lbs. and had a 67 percent disapproval rating  when he died.

Major General Barrye Price spoke at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon.

The main goal of Price’s speech, he said, was to broaden the audience’s knowledge of King beyond his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Price’s interest with King began when he was asked to deliver a speech about him as a graduate student.

“I thought I really understood him,” he said, “but after I did the research I really realized how little I knew about King.”

King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is more important than his “I Have a Dream” speech, Price said.

“That gives us the greatest context into who Martin Luther King was, what he stood for and what his vision was for America,” he said.

The luncheon began with President Linda Bennett who welcomed the audience.

Freshman Hope Williams sang the National Anthem and SGA President Alexa Bueltel gave the student reflection.

Sylvia Henderson and Emily Baxter Parker sang “America the Beautiful” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” accompanied by Monte Skelton, who played bass guitar and alto saxophone.

Skelton, a local musician, agreed to perform at the luncheon somewhat last minute because of what Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to him.

“There are a lot of opportunities that have opened up for us because of the things that he fought for and the things that he sacrificed, so that we are free to perform and have events like this,” the University of Evansville graduate said.

Skelton said he spends this day appreciating how far equality has come in such a short time.

“I always say, ‘Keep the faith,’” he said. “We always continue to fight and progress forward.”

Provost Ron Rochon, a  friend of Price’s since the early 1990s, introduced the keynote speaker.

The two met at Texas A&M University when Rochon was a professor in the College of Education and Price was a graduate student in the Department of History where he received his doctorate.

“(Price) is a very accomplished human being,” Rochon said. “And I just knew that he would get the attention of a diverse set of constituents in the audience.”

The luncheon is an opportunity both to honor King  and to reflect on that point in history, Rochon said.

“I always enjoy this event because it teaches us both old and young to really kind of challenge ourselves inwardly about what we’re doing and what we’re not doing to improve the human condition for all folks,” he said.

Five members of Design by Grace sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” after Price’s speech.

There was a Q&A after the luncheon ended.

Sophomore Alexa Humphrey said the speech taught her a lot about American history, including that King attended Morehouse College when he was 15 and met John F. Kennedy while in prison.

Humphrey said she looks forward to attending the luncheon next year as well.

“It’s just a day of remembrance of American history, not just African-American history,” she said. “We need to keep his dream alive and keep going.”