Lansing resident Noah Yarborough, 12, center-right, recites the "I Have a Dream" speech during the MLK Commemorative March for Justice on Jan. 16, 2017 at Beaumont Tower. Students, professors and other allies marched in commemoration of the values held by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the Union to Beaumont Tower. Yarborough has engaged in public speaking since the age of 3 and reciting this particular speech since the age of 5.
Members of MSU's Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity led a commemorative march to celebrate the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday afternoon.
"The biggest thing is continuing the legacy (of) Dr. King and those that came before us stood for something greater than us," said DeVaughn Croxton, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. "For us, it's more or less an obligation to continue that legacy and to make sure that these messages are still being heard and that we are bringing up a greater sense of unity in our time while we have the opportunity to do so."
Students marched from the Union ballroom to Beaumont Tower at about 3 p.m. Croxton said planning for the event began last semester.
The theme of the MLK Day celebration this year was "The Art of Nonconformity: Dissent and Civil Discourse." It discussed civil rights, social injustices and how communities can come together to solve these problems.
"Today the march was different than any other year I've seen," business senior Myya Jones said. "It was more so about hope and inspiring change, to make sure we are taking action in our community. It was very uplifting, we had a chance to talk about how to be allies, talk about how we're going to take action and what the future looks like. It was really just powerful for everyone to just come together and really discuss these important issues and progress we've been making."
The MLK Day march is a way for communities to come together and bring light to social injustices and issues, anthropology senior Breanna Escamilla said.
"Walking together symbolizes to me a coming together physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually in every facade of the human experience," Escamilla said.
Many students made signs to go along with the hashtag of the day #BreakTheSilence, which represented breaking the silence of social issues facing communities.
"To me this march means a commemoration of the great Martin Luther King Jr., remembering what he lived for and what he died for and remembering that his dream is not yet fully accomplished and we still have a long way to go," music performance sophomore Hadiya Knight said as she marched with her poster.
At the end of the march, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was recited by eighth grader Noah Yarborough.
"I was very moved by Noah, the speaker today," neuroscience senior and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Jovaughn Hemingway said. "Just his confidence and conviction in saying that speech took me back to 1963."
