Kenneth “Freedom Smitty” Salaam’s life experiences have run the gamut. In the mid-1960s, along with Cecil B. Moore and others, he helped desegregate Girard College, a boarding school in North Philadelphia known for admitting white male orphans only. This earned him and the group the title of “Philadelphia Freedom Fighters.” 

In addition, Salaam worked with Fannie Lou Hamer in Mississippi to fight for the rights of African Americans to vote, and participated in a demonstration with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during James Meredith’s “March Against Fear.” He also had the honor, albeit however unfortunate, of serving as a pallbearer at Dr. King’s funeral.

Salaam visited Arcadia University on Jan. 23 to speak to a room full of students and members of the wider community. The Office of Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (AEDI); Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action (CASAA); and the Combating Anti Black Racism’s (CABR) Community Education Working Group co-sponsored the event, which was part of a weeklong series to honor the legacy of Dr. King.

“One thing I always tell young people – and I’m speaking for Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and others – we loved you before we knew you,” Salaam told the audience. “I knew that I would not benefit from what we were doing, but it was all for the future.”

The event began with a video introducing Salaam. Then, Salaam took part in a conversation with Shaughn Williams ’26, a Media and Communication major. Williams posed several questions on a variety of topics around the themes of nonviolence and nonviolent protesting to which Salaam kept the audience on the edge of their seats as he weaved in his stories and life experiences.

“The movement is in all of us, which is what Dr. King tried to bring out,” he explained. “You don’t need to try to outdo your neighbor. Try to find what you can do to help the cause. If we’re going to continue moving forward, we have to have the best of humanity.”

After Salaam finished speaking, he joined the audience in the front row as several students took the stage for a student panel discussion moderated by Williams. The panel included DB Baxter ’26, Collin Gazella ’25, Callum Otieno ’27, and Fatoumata Sidibe ’28. They shared their thoughts on nonviolence as a way of protest, what needs to be done in 2025 to make the world better, and the changes they hope to see in their future.

As the evening ended, Salaam had one last thing to say to the crowd.

“Make Dr. King proud, don’t turn his dream into a nightmare,” he implored. “He saw this day at Arcadia – black and whites sitting together. It was a dream back in 1963, but he saw what he saw, and this event is what he saw.”

Salaam travels around the Philadelphia region sharing his stories, hoping to have even the smallest impact on his audiences. Recently, he has also spoken at Temple University, Villanova University, Germantown Friends School, The Baldwin School, and others.

“That’s who I’m talking to, the future,” Salaam said. “These young folks  are going to run the world whether I like it or not.  And if I have an opportunity to have a small piece of input, I’ll take that because the struggle continues.”

WATCH: 6ABC coverage of the event