The world must continue to remember and respond to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to action, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina said.

Rusesabagina gave the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership lecture to an audience of more than 500 at Tsai Auditorium Tuesday. The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center paid tribute to King by naming Rusesabagina a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow, an honor he said was the highest he had ever received.

He discussed the history of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and his experience sheltering more than 1,200 refugees in the H’ocirc;tel des Mille Collines, known as ‘Hotel Rwanda’ because of the award-winning film.

‘The whole country at that time was smelling death . . . I learned how to deal with evil,’ Rusesabagina said. ‘This would help me throughout the whole genocide.’

Rusesabagina said history continually repeats itself, as evidenced by the cycle of genocide in Rwanda. Acts of genocides committed by the Hutus against the Tutsis, the two ethnic groups involved in the 1994 genocide, had occurred throughout Rwanda’s post-colonial history.

‘We never changed the dance, we never changed the music,’ he said. ‘We only changed the dancers.’

He said the world has failed in many ways to eradicate social injustice.

‘We never fulfilled MLK’s ambition,’ he said. ‘Are we innocent here tonight? We pretend not to see, yet we know.’

He urged recognition of the injustices in the world.

‘Tell the truth about equal justice and equal rights and reconciliation will follow,’ he said. ‘I believe in the power of words. Words can be the best and worst arsenal for humans.’

He said students must remember King’s mission.

‘Let us follow Martin Luther King . . . let us be his messengers,’ he said. ‘Young people, you are the only people who can shape this world . . . go out and make a difference.’

HGARC director Vita Paladino said the night was held to pay tribute to ‘our beloved Dr. King’ and mark the end of the project to archive King’s papers online. The ‘electronic finding aid’ will be launched Jan. 10, she said.

Paladino also named poet Sonia Sanchez a Coretta Scott King fellow and she recited three poems.

‘We’ve got to teach our children to be peaceful,’ Sanchez said. ‘We have to change the way young people look at themselves.’

The evening began with a documentary on King called ‘Paradox of Boston,’ by HGARC curator Anthony Hill. The film portrayed Boston in the 1950s and King’s time at BU.

According to the film, Boston was a ‘breeding ground’ since so many black leaders came out of the city, but there was also a conspiracy to maintain the image of freedom, even though some blacks were not even allowed in school dorms.

King donated his manuscripts, notebooks and other papers to BU in 1964 because the university could give them the attention, detail and staffing that they needed, according to the film.

Eight panelists, including four BU professors and King biographer Clayborne Carson, also discussed the lasting legacy of King.

King’s sister, Christine King Farris, spoke about the influence of education on her brother’s legacy.

‘Education is the key to a better life no matter your race,’ Farris said.

At age 82, Farris said she is ‘proud to still be employed as an educator.’

She said while the implications of Brown v. Board of Education gave her hope at first, segregation is still a reality in many districts of the nation.

‘Until every child of every race is provided quality education, we have fallen short of Martin Luther King’s dream,’ she said.

King’s niece, Spelman College psychology professor Angela Farris Watkins, said she has come to realize that her ‘Uncle ML’ has influenced her career choice.

‘He was the greatest example of behavior, and psychology deals with behavior,’ she said.

Morehouse College professor Walter Fluker discussed what King’s legacy means for the future.

‘Will there ever be another Martin Luther King Jr.?’ he asked. ‘The greatest challenge for leadership in the 21st century will be how we deal with the crossroads of religion and culture.’

Fluker said globalization requires a different type of leader, one who may have a legacy even greater than King’s.

BU professor Isabel Wilkerson said King’s legacy should encourage BU students.

‘There’s a connection that everyone should be inspired by,’ she said. ‘We’re tracing the same steps he did. There’s a greatness in all of us if we can but find it.’