Throughout the years, there have been an array of outside voices speaking to the campus and local community about important social topics, philosophies, life experiences, and education. Many of the invited speakers say something about the era in which they came. But equally important, they say something about Cortland's community.
This page exhibits some of Cortland's most prominent guest speakers which include Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, and many more. Each speaker includes some additional information about their invitation or visit to campus.
The speakers are outlined in a semi-chronological order from left-to-right.
Courtesy of the National Women's History Museum
Susan B. Anthony came to Cortland County in 1879 to deliver a speech on political equity titled “Women want bread, not the ballot.” She visited again in 1894 alongside Harriet May Mills, another prominent women’s suffrage activist. She spoke about how the movement could use more outspoken men, specifically young men, due to the fact that many preachers, politicians, and editors silently supported the cause, but lacked the public courage to use their power to remedy a lack of equality.
Photograph courtesy of the National Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to the City of Cortland on October 16th, 1956. He spoke off-campus at the Cortland Hotel for the 131st Annual New York State Convention of Universalists. His speech was centered around Non-Agressive Prodcedures for Interracial Harmony. Some notable points from his speech was that, "non-violence stands for principles of love" and "tension stood between justice and injustice, not between black and white".
Photograph courtesy of the Cortland College Archives, Marian Anderson heading on stage at the 1967 Cortland Convocation.
Marian Anderson was honored at the 1967 Cortland Convocation where she received a medallion and a hand illuminated scroll presented by the Centennial Committee. At the 1967 Convocation, Anderson performed a rendition of the "Lincoln Portrait" alongside the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She was the first African-American singer to perform at the White House and with the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Photograph courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica
Kwame Ture visited Cortland in April of 1985. He was the keynote speaker for the Black Student Union's annual "Black Culture Week Dinner". He addressed 100 students in Van Hosen Hall on the issue of communal effort in society and the responsibility of taking care of one another. His overall speech was centered around themes of Capitalism, Socialism, and Oppression. He is known for his role as a Freedom Rider, one of the original founders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and being apart of the Black Panther Party. Ture is also largely credited with coining the slogan "Black Power."
Claribel Alegria, Press, March 31, 1989.
Claribel Alegria (also known as Clara Isabel Alegría Vides) was a poet, essayist, and journalist. She was a prominent voice in Central American literature, authoring works such as the poem La mujer del río/Woman of the River and novellas El detén (The Talisman), and Albúm familiar (Family Album). Alegria came to Cortland in 1989, as part of the Women's History Month.
Photograph courtesy of WikiMedia Commons and the Michiganensian.
Bobby Seale visited Cortland in February of 1994, as part of the Black History Month Lecture Series. he was the co-founder of the Black Panther Party in 1966 with Huey P. Newton. He spoke about the party, history, and humanity.
Photograph courtesy of the NBA Hall of Fame
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited Cortland on April 22, 1999 to discuss his book titled "Black profiles in Courage." Abdul-Jabbar is a hall of fame basketball player who leads the league with the most points scored. The Student Activities Board conducted this event and charged $5.00 for faculty, staff, and general public admittance.
Photograph courtesy of Library of Congress
Booker T. Washington visited the Cortland Normal School on March 28th, 1900. He was invited by the Literary Society of the School. The Literary Society had created a "Lecture Course", and brought many guest speakers to campus as part of the course. Washington was one of them, and his talk was titled, "Negro Problem in the South". He spoke at the Normal Hall, and tickets were less than $1.00 to attend.
Photograph courtesy of the Cortland College Archives, Jesse Owens at SUNY Cortland in 1962 holding his medals.
Owens visited Cortland in March of 1962. He was a guest speaker on behalf of the Men's Athletic Association of Cortland, and his visit was sponsored by the College Chapter of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In his speech he discussed his experiences in physical education as well as the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He also talked of his devotion for the sport, and stressed the importance of knowledge and knowing oneself. His speech was aimed at inspiring to teachers to become better educators, even going so far as to say that teachers have both a responsibility to their community and their country. He was also an advocate for men and women in sports.
Photograph courtesy of the New York Public Library.
Richard (Dick) Gregory visited Cortland in November of 1977 with Mark Lane to discuss their upcoming book titled "Code Name Zorro" on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Gregory also appeared in Cortland in March of 1976. Gregory was an American comedian and civil rights activist.
Photograph courtesy of the New York Times.
Lester visited Cortland on April 18th, 1985 to give a lecture titled "Commonality of Jewish and Black Struggle". Lester was a writer for both Martin Luther King and Stokely Carmichael.
Photograph courtesy of US House of Representatives.
Jesse Jackson Jr. spoke at Corey Union on February 20th, 1992. His visit was sponsored by the Black Student Union as a part of Black History Month. The group he addressed consisted of 250 staff, students, and community members. His lecture was titled "The State of Black America", and was centered around the importance of voter registration.
Courtesy of Ruthhellengruber.com
Ruth Ellen Gruber is a journalist, author, and researcher. She has focused her research primarily on Jewish heritage and history. she has authored multiple works including "Upon the Doorposts of Thy House" and "Jewish Heritage Travel." She came to Cortland in 1994 where spoke of a post-World War II legacy.
Dragon Chronicle, February 23, 1999.
Sheyann Webb-Christburg is a civil rights activist from Selma, Alabama. She is the co-author of the book titled "Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memorials of the Civil Rights Days." At less than 10-years old, she took part in the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, (known as Bloody Sunday). Webb-Christburg came to campus in February of 1999. She spoke of her childhood experiences, segregation, the Civil Rights Act, and more. This was shortly after her book was published.
Photograph courtesy of WikiMedia Commons but created by the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper
Amelia Earhart visited the Cortland Normal School on December 18th, 1935 on behalf of Lyceum (an organization that provides lectures/presentations to campus). She spoke about her career, passion, and education. Earhart noted that she "flies for the fun of it.....and the thrill of exploration." Earhart was a pioneer in her field becoming the first to achieve many accomplishments within aviation. She mentioned that anyone can do what she has done with the right determination. She spoke about her position at Purdue University and preparing students for future careers.
Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.
James Farmer was invited to speak in May of 1965 to Cortland on behalf of the Philosophy Club.
Farmer was the National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and addressed students on the issue of civil rights at a Rally for the Tennessee County Project. He spoke in the HPER Gym with Mr. Douglass Dowd, a Cornell professor, and Mr. William Griffen, a Cortland professor.
Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress
Photograph courtesy of the New Yorker, Bettmann/Getty.
Gwendolyn Brooks gave a lecture at Cortland in November of 1977 about her poetry. Coretta Scott King and Brooks then met in Syracuse with Cortland students; John Stigall (Lecture Board Chairman) and Ken Yancy (student, athlete and the president of the Black Student Union). They discussed "Black Affairs at Cortland" as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Change.
Cesar Chavez speaking on campus. 1987 Didascaleion, 130.
Cesar Chavez, President of the United Farm Workers and civil rights activist, came to Cortland in 1987 as a guest sponsored by the Latin Student Union and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series. He called upon Cortland to join his efforts to boycott California table grapes. This was in response the pesticides being used and role its played with health and safety.
Yolanda King, 1993, from "Our Common Ground: An illustrated history of SUNY Cortland," 12.
Yolanda King, the eldest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, visited SUNY Cortland in January of 1993, to act as a guest speaker for Martin Luther King Day. Her presentation was titled "A Dream Deferred," in which she paid tribute to her father's legacy and commented on the political and social realities of the time.
Photograph courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery
Henry "Hank" Aaron visited Cortland in April of 1998 and spoke to a crowd assembled in Park Center. Aaron spoke about life lessons and how baseball plays a role with education.
Photograph courtesy of the National Women's History Museum
Maya Angelou visited Cortland on December 1, 2001. The event took place in the Pete Corey Gymnasium in Park Center, where two- thousand people gathered to attend. Angelou started off her lecture by mixing lines of poetry and a slave song together then discussed several personal stories from her life.