In May 1960, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Knoxville College to share his words of wisdom with the graduating class.

One of the leaders of the Knoxville civil rights movement, Robert Booker, was present for the visit. 

“It was one of the most fascinating speeches I’d ever heard,” Booker said. “Dr. King told the class, ‘You’re now graduating, and you’re getting ready for the world of work. Remember when you go to work to do the best you can. If you become a teacher, teach like Shakespeare wrote plays. If you become a doctor, practice like Beethoven wrote symphonies. Even if you are a street sweeper, sweep streets like Raphael painted pictures.'”

The speech brought encouragement to Black men and women who lived in a deeply segregated city. 

Booker was also present when Muhammad Ali visited the city in the ’70s. 

To welcome Ali to the city, Booker prepared a poem to present during a speech at the Black Student Union at the University of Tennessee.

On behalf of the mayor and the people of Knox, I salute the greatest of all those who box.

And so we in Knoxville affix our official stamp in welcoming this man who is truly the champ. 

He wanted to surprise Ali and according to Booker, it worked.

“[Ali] said, ‘Who wrote that?’. I said, ‘I did.’ He said, ‘Can’t nobody write poetry like that but me,'” he said. 

Booker said he admired Ali for his commitment to his faith. Ali was stripped of his title for not enlisting in the military because it went against his religion. 

“He was a true hero. He, like Martin Luther King, put himself on the line,” Booker said.