SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — It's been almost 60 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic visit to the University of Rhode Island. On Oct. 5, 1966, the civil rights icon spoke to a crowd of 5,000 people inside Keaney gym. The visit was memorialized by a plaque in 2022, but some say something bigger should have been done. "We're talking about a Nobel Peace Prize winner coming to a state institution, and the only thing you can do is put a plaque up on the wall?" Ed Givens asked. "There should be a statue, a monument, a bust, something!" Givens is the assistant director of the Talent Development Program at URI. The organization was started in response to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The Talent Development Program grants special admission to the university to Rhode Island students of color and those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, like Juan Porres of Cranston. Porres with his parents. (Courtesy: Juan Porres) "I wouldn't be where I am today without the Talent Development Program," he told 12 News. The program also has a history of fighting for racial equality on campus. On May 5, 1971, Talent Development joined other students in taking over Carlotti Hall, demanding more admission for Black students. In 1992, students took over Taft Hall to protest a misquote of Malcolm X etched onto the library. It was just six year later when students came together again, this time to protest a racist cartoon printed in the school's student-run newspaper. "As far as changing the face of the university and opportunities for students of color and having a more professional staff within the division, Talent Development has had a hand in it," Givens said. Talent Development provides financial, academic and emotional support before, during and after college. "The enrollment deposit, which is $500 at URI, that was something that at the time, when I was applying, I couldn't afford," Porres recalled. "I didn't want to have my parents, who already work so hard as immigrants, pay that." Now, Porres is about to graduate with a masters in College Student Personnel. He said his journey wouldn't have been possible without the help of Talent Development and the work of Martin Luther King Jr. "If it weren't for the likes of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and everyone who brought everything to URI, and the country as a whole, I really don't know where I would be," Porres added. As for the future of the program, Givens said they will continue to advocate for Dr. King's dream. "With different political systems and the changing of government," he said, "the fight continues." Learn more about the Talent Development Program at URI Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW