NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. (WANE) – Manchester University marks the 55th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “The Future of Integration” address at the North Manchester campus with a Remembrance & Rededication Ceremony Tuesday.

The event was held at Manchester University in the Cordier Auditorium.

Assistant Professor of Theology at Messiah University stood at the same lectern that Doctor King gave his address, and delivered a ‘blue jeans’ message of action titled, “Dr. King’s Blue Jeans: White Supremacy, Christianity, and God’s Delivering Presence.”

Hart says the term “blue jeans” comes from a moment that Doctor King had in 1963 with fellow members a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As they were deciding what to do with the obstacles in front of them, Doctor King left the room without giving input and went and changed into blue jeans.

“And everyone knew at that moment that when he put on those blue jeans it meant that it was time to get to work, it’s time to seek justice, it’s time to roll up our sleeves, and actually work for the actual flourishing of others especially those who are most vulnerable in our communities,” Hart said.

Hart said the goal of this message was to encourage grassroots action committed to justice for people who are oppressed.

“I wanted to invite everyone not only to have an intellectual understanding of how we got where we are, to the problems that we’re dealing with, but that we all need to be committed to putting on our own blue jeans and working for justice today,” Hart said.

The event began at 7 p.m., on February 1st, and was free to attend.