June 29, 1978: In a statement to the press, Martin Luther King declares his support for the ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.
"Fifteen years ago, I had a dream that a person must be judged by the content of their character, and not the color of their skin. Today, the Supreme Court has upheld that principle. The wrongs of Jim Crow cannot be righted by any racial quota or by discriminating against whites in the college application process or any other."
His statement draws condemnation from the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and leads to a split in the NAACP between the King's supporters and what becomes known as the Jackson-Sharpton wing, which eventually forms the Rainbow Coalition. Ultimately, Dr. King will support the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980, giving Reagan 40% of the African-American vote that year, and work with Nancy Reagan in discouraging drug use by children and teenagers.