Finance senior Connie Zheng, a naturalized American from China, has been participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. march for three years. And marching alongside her on Monday was her 6-year-old son, bundled up from the cold and jumping with excitement.
"This is a very special day because (King) died for us," Zheng said. "He fought for the rights for the minority groups."
The mother and son were among more than 100 participants in the Martin Luther King Jr. celebratory march, which began at both the Beaumont Tower and Akers Hall and ended at the Wharton Center.
Zheng said in the 10 years she's lived in the United States, she has seen improvements, but still experiences racial discrimination.
"I hope things get better in the future so (my son) is not judged based on his skin color," Zheng said.
Inside the theater at the end of the march, an excerpt from "Blues for Mister Charlie" was shown. The play tells the story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy who was murdered in 1955 by white men, for allegedly flirting with a white woman.
Meanwhile, several MSU student groups used the holiday to join together and promote campuswide student activism. They hosted open discussions on current social and economic issues at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Leadership Conference and Resource Fair at the Union.
The fair offered a chance to motivate students to bring King's dream of unity into perspective and help students find ways to make changes in their everyday lives, said Paulette Granberry Russell, director for the Office for Affirmative Action, Compliance and Monitoring.
"They have the opportunity to witness firsthand, students engaged in the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.," Granberry Russell said.
Detroit resident Myahe Clark said she was excited to be among the high school students from across the state who attended the conference.
"Martin Luther King Jr. is a very important person, and it's important for me to try and learn as much about him as I can," the 17-year-old said.
English senior Chrystal Griffin said Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be about making a lifelong commitment to help improve society.
"A lot of times it's easy to get excited, but the fervor isn't maintained," she said. "You have to keep that excitement up because that's how you get to promote change."
MSU President Lou Anna Simon addressed the nearly 200 students and faculty members who arrived for the day-long conference.
"It's a special day to reflect on the legacy of a great American citizen," Simon said. "I'm excited not simply to celebrate our past, but to have you charter our future."
While some students stayed on campus for the march, speeches or conference, others went out to volunteer with the "Into the Streets" event, which encourages volunteerism on the King holiday.
"The premise behind students having the MLK holiday was that they would engage in social engagement activities, social enhancement of community activities or educational activities," said Tammye Coles, African American Student Affairs coordinator.
Throughout the Lansing area, MSU students dispersed in small groups for the annual service event. The volunteers were stationed at 27 locations and helped with activities ranging from snow shoveling at Lansing's Burcham Hills Retirement Community to distributing brochures downtown for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Some students were busy cleaning Lansing's Ronald McDonald House, a temporary home for families with ill children at the nearby Sparrow Hospital.
Human biology senior Kai Jones said it's important to volunteer year-round.
"I don't volunteer just because it's MLK day," Jones said. "We should give back every day."
Staff writer Amy Davis contributed to this report.
