MSU alumnus Ernest Green, of the Little Rock Nine, spoke to the marchers Jan. 20, 2014, at the Beaumont Tower. The march started from the MSU Union and ended at the Beaumont Tower. Erin Hampton/ The State News
MSU alumnus Ernest Green didn’t exactly have a normal high school experience.
Green was one of the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. in 1957. At his graduation, Green had a conversation with none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. himself.
“Dr. King did advise me to pursue my education, be diligent and focused, and I think that’s the same thing I would say to all of you,” Green said,
Green spoke at MSU’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Commemorative March on Monday, which spanned from the Union to Beaumont Tower.
Green spoke for about 20 minutes outside of Beaumont Tower and advised attendees to utilize all of the resources MSU has to offer to better themselves in the long run.
“This is a great institution,” he said during his speech. “But it can be greater if you utilize it.”
An early start
Green was awarded a full scholarship to attend MSU when he graduated high school.
He said he initially was hesitant to talk to King on the day he graduated.
“I didn’t realize he was in the audience until after the ceremony,” Green said. “When you’re 16 and graduating from high school, you don’t want to talk to anybody.
Green said meeting people and stepping outside of someone’s comfort zone are the most important ways to get the most out of a university like MSU.
During his time in East Lansing, the university was a tolerant place, Green said in an interview with The State News following his speech.
“When I came, the university was very active in trying to promote tolerance and diversity,” he said. “People like the president and my friend Joel Ferguson were committed to keep MSU as an institution that figures out how to support students from not only the state of Michigan, but all over the country.”
Green said coming back to MSU and talking to students is an important part of being an alumnus.
“It’s obviously a high honor to be able to give back,” he said.
“When you’re first coming here, this place is so big and you’ll wonder if you will ever have an impact. … This place is one of those institutions where you will get more out of it if you’re driven.”
A student following
Students from various organizations on campus marched in the event.
The post-march reception in the MSU Museum featured student performances and food.
For students all across campus, the march, which has been an annual event since 1980, served as a way to celebrate King and his legacy.
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Criminal justice senior Jameria Caldwell said the day is a reminder to everyone that the camaraderie it brings annually is important.
“Today means coming together for me,” she said. “We’re trying to achieve unity and make a better Michigan State, and I think that’s what today is about.”
She said she was interested in hearing what the speakers had to say before and after the march.
“They will be touching on great points from Dr. King and expressing to us what they want us to do to have a better Michigan State as a whole,” she said. “I think that’s what people will take away from today.”
Sociology senior Deniqua Gunn had similar sentiments about the importance of the day and what she was looking forward to the most.
“People might not know everything that he (Martin Luther King, Jr.) did, and these presentations will be a great way for them to learn,” she said.
Gunn said the community coming together is the most important part of the day to her.
“Being able to be reminded of why Martin Luther King did what he did and what rights today blacks have that they didn’t back then (is why today is important),” she said. “You see other races here, not just black people. This couldn’t happen back then.”
