On Nov. 2, 1983, Dr. Martin Luther King was given a day in his honor. Michigan State University students and alumni gather for a yearly march in his honor. Due to weather conditions, this year it was held in the IM East Gymnasium. Students and alumni march around the gym and several guest speakers honor Dr. King.
Despite below-zero temperatures, a celebration of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy he left behind was held in the IM East building on Monday morning.
The march was originally planned to be held at Beaumont Tower with participants marching to the construction site of the MSU Multicultural Center, but due to inclement weather, the decision to move the celebration to IM East was made by the MLK Student Commemorative Committee.
"It was definitely a change from the typical approach to the march, but we had a mindset of ensuring that we executed the march," Accounting senior Nate Jefferson, treasurer for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. said. "It was a great turnout, a lot of people showed up, a lot of people were excited to have the opportunity to show their respects to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and everything he stood for."
Jefferson said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.'s role within the march has a personal connection to King's legacy because King was a member of the fraternity.
"Not only did he have an integral role within the country and the world, and the movement for human rights, but he also had an integral role and still has an integral piece in our hearts for our fraternity," Jefferson said. "We want to make sure that we are able to facilitate an annual walk and an annual show of respect each year for Dr. King."
Communications senior and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Brandon Foster said this year's march is different for all of the right reasons.
"We were able to collaborate with more Black organizations to make it more inclusive," Foster said. "This is an important day because I believe we should always pay respects to Dr. King and honor the work he's done."
Dr. King's famous 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech was read by eight year old Michaela Gladley, a second grader at Robert L. Green Elementary School in East Lansing, which is named after her great-great uncle, who was one of the first Black faculty members at MSU. Gladley wants to become a veterinarian and an Olympics Equestrian when she grows up.
MSU Department of Psychology and Honors College Professor Lee June, who is the former vice president for student affairs and services and a member of the Lansing NAACP chapter, also spoke at the march. June said in his speech that during his time at MSU and as a participant in the Selma to Montgomery march of 1965, he, along with the students and community, has marched for different issues that have occurred over the last few years and decades.
"On campus, we marched in the past," June said. "We marched in 1969 for the first sit-in, then we came back in 1989. We marched when Trayvon Martin was killed, for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. We recently marched for the Multicultural Center. Let us keep on marching."
In attendance at this year's celebration were multiple student organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Sistas That Care, Inc., Sigma Lamba Gamma National Sorority Inc., MSU Black Students' Alliance and the MSU National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Also in attendance was MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff. In her speech, she discussed how in living up to Dr. King's legacy, people should be persistent and dedicated to the same work Dr. King devoted his life to.
MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar R. Bennett also spoke at the march, noting that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement.
"We will be commemorating these events that have really given us a foundation to build upon us as students, faculty and staff, and keep those individuals here and help everyone thrive in ways that they imagine," Bennett said.
"'We may have come from different ships, but we're in the same boat now,'" Bennett said while quoting Dr. King. "We are stronger together."
This year's march and celebration of Dr. King's life comes at a time when many Black students are advocating for university officials to do more in addressing racism and harassment on campus.
"I would say that people need to understand that color aside, we're human beings and we need to respect one another," Jefferson said. "Despite all of the work MLK has put in, we're still dealing with the controversy surrounding race. It has improved significantly since he was fighting for what he was actively fighting for, but nonetheless, it's still a problem on our campus today."
Jefferson encourages MSU students to "find their personal mission" in moving forward to ensure Dr. King's vision is being felt around the community.
"The same vision Martin Luther King had is the same vision that my beloved fraternity has, which is improvement of humanity," Jefferson said. "He had this vision based upon a mission that he set upon, where that mission is something that is personal about them."
Monday's march is one of the many events taking place on campus this week to honor King.
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On Thursday, Jan. 18, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner will be held at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. On Wednesday, the MLK Cultural Showcase will be at this year's Springticipation. The event is free and will be hosted at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility from 6 to 9 p.m.
