Although some students may view Martin Luther King Jr. Day as simply another day to sleep in, scroll through Netflix and catch up on schoolwork, other members of the Starkville community use the extra day of relaxation to remind students of the gravity of the Civil Rights movement.
Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Mississippi State University Holmes Cultural Diversity Center will sponsor a re-enactment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s inspirational “I Have A Dream” speech. The event will take place in Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall and celebrate the life of the famous civil rights activist.
Ra’Sheda Forbes, assistant director of the HCDC, said she wishes to combat nonchalant attitudes toward history through events like Wednesday’s re-enactement.
“Students don’t know the history of things like they used to,” she said. “We got into a conversation about when was the last time we heard the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech recited.”
Forbes said the opporunity to give students a peek into King’s passion and zeal for racial equality and the legacy his work has left excites her.
“Getting students involved in learning the speech helped them to realize how the dream has come to pass,” she said.
The speech re-enactment is not the only way the HCDC pays tribute to King this week. The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will also pay homage to King, who was once their fraternity brother. There will also be a violinist’s tribute and a video tribute on campus.
Bianca Tatum, treasurer of the Peers Assisting with Students Program, said she hopes students glean a greater appreciation for the strides that have been made in civil rights from the event.
“I hope that students find that spark that the past generations found during the civil rights era,” she said. “I hope that the event is entertaining, yet thought provoking and inspirational.”
Tatum said she believes students can gain enthusiasm about fighting for all peoples’ rights in 2014, not just throughout history, through studying King’s life and work.
“My generation must understand that minorities have broken many barriers, but there is a fight to be fought,” she said. “We hope that students of today strive to be generational heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. was.”
Tatum also said students who seek involvement with programs such as those put on by the HCDC should visit the Colvard Student Union in suite 220. She said she finds King’s dreams still hold great importance and inspiration and that her generation can continue to push his dream of equality and respect onward.
“We cannot let his visions die,” she said. “I’m vested in keeping the dream alive and reminding our generation what we as a nation have gone through.”
King’s dreams still ring true today. The brilliance of his “I Have A Dream” speech not only resounds throughout history, but also echoes in the hearts of MSU students this week as the university raises awareness of his indispensible, influential work to make America truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.
