The legacies of Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, Mohandas K. Gandhi and Sitting Bull were brought alive on campus Wednesday night, as four teams of students competed in the third annual Multicultural Heroes Hall of Fame Case Competition.
Through skits, video clips and slides, each team had 10 minutes to present arguments about why the different historical figures deserve a place in the Multicultural Heroes Hall of Fame. The winners, who were not announced at the time of printing, received a $1,500 prize.
"We wanted to celebrate everyone who struggled for human rights," said Darell King, assistant director of multicultural business programs and the competition chair. "By having a competition, you not only educate the students but you educate the masses as well."
Darell King developed the program with the help of Ernest Betts, assistant dean of multicultural business programs. Darell King said the goal of the program is to link historical figures to the ideology of Martin Luther King Jr.
"It's another way of promoting multiculturalism and diversity and its importance in the education program," he said.
A panel of judges, composed of faculty and staff members from different campus programs, evaluated the teams based on time limits, presentation dynamics and whether the students made a connection to Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideals.
Team "Truth," which included marketing senior Carlos Johnson, filled the auditorium with the words and images of Malcolm X during its presentation.
"With any historical figure, you can always learn a little more," said Johnson, a first-time competitor in the program. He said he enjoyed researching the details of his hero's personal life.
"I think this is an excellent opportunity to educate people on Malcolm X's true philosophy," he said.
One of Johnson's competitors for the evening was agriscience and education senior Kara Butters, a member of team "Multicultural Educators." Butters was on the winning team last year and said she was excited to present an argument for her hero this year, Sitting Bull.
"The most rewarding part is to be able to learn about someone who was able to help civil rights," she said. "It also does help promote multiculturalism on the campus of MSU."
