Participating in the event for the third-consecutive year, technology systems management senior and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member Vincent Davis said the march is an opportunity to appreciate Dr. King’s legacy.

“Students realize why they get the day off and really remember why Dr. Martin Luther King did what he did for us,” he said.

The march will begin at the Union at 3 p.m., where the members will give a presentation to students about Dr. King’s efforts and contributions to civil rights. Following the presentation, fraternity brothers will march to Beaumont Tower, where vice president of student affairs and services Lee June will present a speech honoring this historical figure.

Davis said the fraternity’s choice of Beaumont Tower is a symbolic one.

“It is such a powerful and noble place on campus — somewhere everyone knows of,” he said.

The tradition began in 1998 when MSU officially canceled classes for the day in Dr. King’s honor, recent Alpha Phi Alpha alumnus Bryan Cotton said. But for that to happen, the university required an educational event to occur to honor Dr. King’s work, hence the march.

Fraternity brothers agreed the march remains an important annual tradition and members continue to appreciate the original idea.
“You don’t see marches all over the place,” said Ricky Widby, an electrical engineering senior and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member.

The march promotes unity because fraternity brothers are marching for a cause, said Stevon Mosley, a food industry management senior and Alpha Phi Alpha member. Mosley said diversity is important to his education at MSU.

“From China to Ecuador, I’ve got friends from all over,” he said. “I thank them for having this diversity. I feel like you learn from each other with different backgrounds and personalities.”