A cold forced him to speak in a softer-than-usual tone, but Na'im Akbar's message was still strong.

"His voice isn't as powerful as it usually is," said Murray Edwards, senior coordinator in the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs. "But he is still going to bring it."

The office sponsored the event along side the Black History Committee.

Edwards was one of more than 60 people to attend Akbar's speech Wednesday, in honor of Malcolm X week.

Akbar's voice echoed off the walls of Erickson Hall Kiva as he reflected on the contributions Malcolm X made to black culture.

Akbar, a psychologist who has devoted his research and practice to the understanding of blacks, said Malcolm X is a role model who should be emulated.

"The very significant people out of our recent history are very quickly forgotten, I think these students need models," he said. "They need a memory of where we have come from in order to put their own experiences into context."

Akbar challenged the students in attendance Wednesday night to strive to become like Malcolm X, instead of the rappers of today who he said depress the culture.

"My challenge to you is not to memorize the Spike Lee movie about his life or read the autobiography so you can recite it by heart," he said. "My challenge to you is that every one of you who admires what he represents should strive to become like him."

Malcolm X, who spent part of his childhood in Lansing, was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965. Akbar said blacks need to follow his example by hungering for knowledge, being self-disciplined and loving their fellow people.

"What I try to do is a massive re-education in terms of helping particularly African Americans to understand who we are and what we need to do," Akbar said.

Psychology senior Jeffrey Brentley said the entire speech was inspiring.

"I think we need more speakers to relate things that have happened in the past to how they relate today," Brentley said. "When he brought up the different aspects of Malcolm's life - love, discipline and so forth - he explained how even today this is something we all have within us.

"It is not something out of the ordinary or just supernatural."

As a psychology major, Brentley said the speech gave him information on how to prepare for his career.

Javon Jackson, who received his doctorate in ecological psychology from MSU in 1975, said although it is important to understand black psychology it is also important to understand one's self.

"It made me more serious about life and I wanted to accomplish more things - people should know themselves personally," he said.

"If people knew the truth about themselves they would have a more positive self-concept of themselves."