From left, Ignacio G. Andrade, community outreach and student liaison, and co-chairs for the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Leadership Conference, family and child ecology senior Brittany Sutton and chemistry and anthropology senior Megan Garrett go over details for the upcoming conference after a meeting Tuesday in the Union. The conference will be held Saturday.
Students across the nation will join together to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this Monday, but for MSU, the celebrations are nothing new.
Celebrations this weekend and Monday will mark the 30th anniversary of MSU’s participation in MLK Day remembrance.
From a conference to a commemorative march, MSU students have the opportunity to engage in various of activities throughout the weekend.
MSU’s Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives is largely behind the efforts for MSU’s MLK Day celebrations and its staff is excited about the prospects of active student participation.
Paulette Granberry Russell, the director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, noted that although she does not discredit a high-profile speaker, it is a positive change to see students more actively engaging in celebrations.
“I think what we’ve seen is the evolving of programming at MSU that is reflective of the goals of Dr. King,” Granberry Russell said. “We are functioning as a community, engaging in fellowship together.”
Family and child ecology senior Brittany Sutton and chemistry and anthropology senior Megan Garrett are student co-coordinators of the MLK Student Leadership Conference. They expect about 250 students at this year’s event, a higher attendance than last year. Participants will include MSU students and high school students from the Detroit, Flint and Saginaw areas.
Sutton said the conference this year will include many workshops, each organized by a student group on campus, as well as a resource fair and student panel.
Each workshop will focus on a different aspect of King’s legacy, with themes ranging from racism to the importance of education.
Sutton said a major change this year will be an increase in audience interaction.
“We’re focusing on making the conference interesting,” she said. “Informational and beneficial — but interesting at the same time.”
Garrett said another exciting change in this year’s celebration is the inclusiveness of events.
“We’re working to reach beyond just the African American students to include all students,” Garrett said.
She also noted that it was important that high school students would be attending, helping to bridge the gap between urban communities and MSU.
The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives also has seen an increase in the amount of international students attending MLK celebrations, Granberry Russell said.
“International students may not have a King, but they have a Ghandi or a Mandela,” she said.
Sutton said student involvement in the holiday events is crucial.
“It’s very simple,” she said. “It’s (about) service and leaving a legacy for those after me.”
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