He revolutionized the way America views Civil Rights. He led a movement against racism. He fought on the front lines against unfair and unjust laws. He was a husband, father and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s accomplishments and legacy of paving the way to an equal America will be celebrated at Mississippi State University Monday.
President Mark Keenum and the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs will host Mississippi State’s 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Breakfast on Monday beginning at 7 a.m. in the Colvard Student Union’s Bill Foster Ballroom. Jointly sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, the breakfast and program are free to the public. There will be a shuttle service from the Palmeiro Center parking lot to the union building from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Maria White, assistant dean and director of Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, said the holiday is a time to remind people of King’s dream.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is significant because it continues to remind us of where we have come from and allows us to continue to generate and promote discussion, reflection and then take action,” White said. “Our university is a strong proponent of and supporter of dialogue and change for cultural inclusiveness, which was a major theme throughout Dr. King’s fight for justice and equality.”
Keenum will begin the program with a welcome. Donald Shaffer Jr., assistant professor of English and African-American studies, and Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman will make special presentations. Music will be performed by the Black Voices Gospel Choir.
Mary Alexander, director of the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, said the university looks for a speaker who can closely identify with Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.
This year, recently retired U.S. Marshal Nehemiah Flowers will speak. He is a graduate of Belhaven University. Flowers became Mississippi’s first African-American TV executive in 1969 with his position as public affairs director at Jackson television station WLBT. It was while he was member of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s staff that Flowers was recommended to former President George W. Bush for the position of U.S. marshal. During his time as a marshal, he founded the Southern District’s first Violent Fugitive Task Force. He retired as a lawman Jan. 3.
Junior communication major Bettina Fant said Martin Luther King Jr. Day is encouraging to many. She also said the breakfast is more than a tribute to King.
“It shows the difference he made so that we can come together to hear about the accomplishments Flowers has made because of what Dr. King contributed,” Fant said.
Alexander said Keenum requested for Flowers to be the speaker this year.
“He served on staff as senator and Dr. Keenum was also a part of that staff,” she said. “Dr. Keenum thinks a lot of Mr. Flowers and feels that he has exemplified through the years the principles for which Dr. King stood.”
Fant said she is inspired by King and the holiday.
“It’s significant to me as an African-American because it makes me want to continue to strive to make a difference,” she said.
White said the continued observance of the significance of the life of the great leader, King, will continue to show people the need for continued vigilance towards justice and equality for all regardless of color, race or creed.
“The university’s decision to host this community event year after year speaks to our belief in community,” she said. “Dr. King believed in community and so does the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and Mississippi State University.”
The Holmes Cultural Diversity Center is located in the Colvard Student Union. It is dedicated to increasing minority and international student enrollment and retention and making the college experience a productive and successful endeavor for all students.
The Office of Diversity and Equity is located at 106 McArthur Hall and monitors the university’s compliance with federal anti-discriminatory laws and provides diversity and harassment training.