Unrest in Baltimore: 1968

Trustees Minutes 1968 June 13

In April of 1968, after the assassination of the Reverand Martin Luther King, Jr., Baltimore was one of many cities that experienced a period of unrest. As the community reeled in the face of this tragedy, many participated in protests which sometimes turned violent. The National Guard was called in, curfews were set, and in the face of it all Peabody remained largely silent and unconcerned. Mellasenah Morris, who was a student at the time, recalls that other students were perturbed that their routines were interrupted, recitals were cancelled, and they were inconvenienced by the curfews. Morris, as one of just a few black students at Peabody at the time, says she was just thankful for her life.

Several months later, the Board of Trustees issued a statement on student dissent, recorded in the Board of Trustees minutes from June 13, 1968. Both Morris and Paul Matlin, another student at the time, said they never saw the statement. It seems that, rather than a response to student dissent at Peabody, the Board issued this statement simply to cover their bases. The statement can be read by clicking on the image to the left.