From the Bridgeport History Center:
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. visited Bridgeport at least five times. In March of 1961, King spoke at the Klein Memorial Auditorium.
In the speech, King called on President John F. Kennedy to strongly enforce the civil rights laws.
In June 1961, King returned to the City to receive an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Bridgeport.
In March 1964, an even larger audience at Klein Auditorium heard King call for the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
On January 15, 1962, about 1,300 people attended the rally in Central High School Auditorium. “We have to live together when the battle is over,” he told students and other residents.
On April 8, 1968, four days after King’s assassination in Memphis, Tenn., an overcrowded Klein Auditorium participated in a memorial service for the slain leader.
