Against a backdrop of sparkling snowdrifts and shadows cast by street lamps on campus, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. was remembered and respected a few days after what would have been his 75th birthday.
On Monday night, a group of students, faculty and staff gathered at the foot of Beaumont Tower to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a campus march. The march eventually led to Wharton Center for the 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration.
Student groups formed most of the march, which snaked across campus, temporarily shutting down portions of Farm Lane and Shaw Road. Many held aloft banners displaying the name of their organizations, creating a colorful testament to campus diversity.
"It's a good way to get the word out," said Samantha Letvin, who was on hand to help PRISM, a lesbian-bi-gay-transgender group representing South Complex. The art education sophomore said she enjoyed last year's commemoration and was looking forward to hearing the words of Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey, this year's keynote speaker.
Paulette Granberry Russell, director of MSU's Office for Affirmative Action Compliance and Monitoring, said the campus march has grown in participation since the 1998 MSU Board of Trustees' decision to cancel classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"It's a symbolic march to recognize the struggles of those who came before us," she said. She also said she hoped many people continue to participate despite potential weather conditions, such as Monday night's bitter cold.
"When one thinks about those who suffered under adverse conditions, weather, in my view, is the least of those adversities," she said.
But those who braved the cold eventually were able to warm up during a ceremony at the Wharton Center immediately following the march. As students filed into the room, performers played drums and sang traditional spirituals.
The night's theme was "Educating a Diverse Nation: Reflections and Celebration." Below a large hanging portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., student groups and school officials took turns reflecting upon the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which ended legal segregation in public schools.
"We all know that if civil rights hadn't been on the ballot in the 1960s, we would not all be sitting in this same room today," said Taina Jorda-Cid, co-chairwoman for Culturas de las Razas Unidas. Amid cheers and applause, the political science and pre-law senior touched on issues concerning racism, sexism, classism and ableism.
But Jorda-Cid, like many others who spoke at the event, expressed that there still is much work to be done to gain true equality.
"Wouldn't it be great if we were truly judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin?" she asked. "This is not a black/white issue. This is not a man/woman issue. This is a people's issue."
The messages of keynote speaker Slaughter-Harvey also echoed the evening's theme of education.
"The future of all of us in this room is in the hands of young people," she said. "I encourage them to vote, to understand who and why they are, to not be afraid to stand on the shoulders of others and to get an education."
Emily Bingham can be reached binghame@msu.edu.
