For the Brown community, honoring the values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the face of enduring systemic racism and profound political divisiveness, Brown President Christina H. Paxson urged students, faculty and staff to uphold the values that define King’s legacy. 1 of 7 During a 1960 visit to Brown, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., accompanied by James N. Williams of the Urban League of Rhode Island, read an Abraham Lincoln letter containing a quotation used in a series of American Credo stamps: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” 2 of 7 One aspect of King’s legacy was to influence broader protection in America's democracy, especially for those who were being denied access to the right to vote — in 2020, the Swearer Center’s student-led Brown Votes organization helped students to effectively navigate what became, for many of them, their first federal election.