The Rev. Jesse Jackson received a standing ovation from the 2,089 people packed into Eisenhower Auditorium last night to hear him speak in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"It was a high privilege in my life to work with Dr. King, to spend time with him in the last moments of his life in Memphis, [Tenn.]," Jackson said.

Jackson told the audience that Martin Luther King Jr.'s faith and heritage had prepared him for a life of leadership.

"Only people of faith can sustain the battle in the face of crosswinds and headwinds," he said.

Jackson also spoke about the violent acts taken against King while he campaigned for civil rights.

"He saw beyond his ethnicity and circumstance," Jackson said. "Somehow, through all of that, he chose to get better, not bitter."

Members of the audience engaged Jackson throughout his speech by nodding in agreement with what he was saying and intermittently applauding him.

Jackson, who began his speech by asking the audience to stand to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the mine tragedy in Sago, W.Va., and of Hurricane Katrina, talked about many things bothering him in today's society.

He urged the audience to protest the government's "violation of duty" to hurricane victims in New Orleans, to challenge the war in Iraq and to work toward raising the minimum wage. The main way students could do these things, he said, is by voting.

"You cannot honor Martin Luther King on this campus and not be a registered voter," he said. He asked members of the audience who weren't registered voters to stand.

"The leader is in you. Your power can determine how they vote," he said, referring to local politicians. "If you are silent, you betray opportunity."

After speaking for about an hour, Jackson took questions from the audience.

One audience member asked Jackson about how he balanced his political ideas and religious beliefs.

"In a complex society, you cannot reduce your vote to an issue," Jackson said. "Here we are arguing about same sex, abortion and stem cells. We can't be simple-minded."

Some students were pleased with Jackson's speech.

"I think he was really amazing," said Jazmine Abadia (senior-crime, law and justice). "He kept it true to the students and to what Martin Luther King really stood for."

Five members of Penn State Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) assembled in front of Eisenhower with signs protesting Jackson as audience members lined up to wait for the doors to open.

Erika Utz (sophomore-special education), treasurer of YAF, held up a sign that said, "Can you name 10 tangible things Jesse Jackson has done for blacks?"

Utz questioned Jackson's sincerity.

"We feel that Jesse Jackson is using what Martin Luther King did to further his own cause and not because he is truly concerned with the welfare of minorities in America," Utz said.

Other YAF members held up signs that said, "Dr. King did so much ... what has Jesse Jackson done?" and "Ask Rev. Jackson why he hates Jews?"

The audience members waiting outside approached the YAF members to ask them about the meaning of their protest.

"I just don't understand why they would take the time to protest now," said Krystal Nunn (freshman-marketing). "It's wrong. The only problem they have is the way Jesse Jackson voices his message. It's not the message itself."