Lucius Turner Outlaw Jr. urged listeners to embrace Martin Luther King Jr.’s past Monday at the 11th annual Martin Luther King Day Unity Breakfast.
A mix of faculty, staff, students and local residents gathered at the Bost Extension Center for Outlaw’s speech and a breakfast of grits, eggs, sausage and orange juice.
In his speech, “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not a Day Off,” Outlaw described his perception of the MLK holiday.
Outlaw accused society of not telling the whole truth about the past, in particular the attitudes that King faced while he was alive.
“Why is it easier to celebrate Dr. King’s life now than it was to walk with him when he was alive?” Outlaw asked. He said both black and white people did not fully embrace King while he lived.
MSU President Charles Lee noted the university’s own civil rights milestone at the breakfast. “This year marks 40 years since Dr. Richard Holmes was the first African-American student accepted to MSU,” he said. Holmes is now a doctor at Mississippi State’s Longest Student Health Center.
Outlaw, who was born in Starkville and is associate provost at Vanderbilt University, has published a collection of essays titled “On Race and Philosophy.” He said he is working on another essay collection titled “In Search of a Critical Social Theory of Race.”
He holds a philosophy degree from Fisk University in Nashville and a doctorate in philosophy from Boston College.
First Baptist Church of Starkville presented Outlaw with a plaque of appreciation. Outlaw worked for the church as a Starkville youth. Mayor Mack Rutledge gave Outlaw a key to Starkville for his work throughout the years.
Mississippi State University and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership hosted the event, and MSU’s Black Voices Gospel Choir performed two selections.
Joseph Long, a Black Voices member, said he was inspired by the event. “I enjoyed the speech by Dr. Outlaw. He really stressed the importance of embracing the past. All of us should take that stand so we can truly be unified as one.”