An event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held Thursday, organized by the Mississippi Valley State University’s Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, Student Government Association and Student Union Board.
“The Legacy of a Dream — A Tribute,” which starts at 5 p.m. at the Carver Randle Auditorium inside the university’s social sciences building, will include remarks by Dr. Jerryl Briggs, MVSU’s president, and Itta Bena Mayor Reginald Freeman. Dr. Montrell Greene, pastor of Sycamore Street Church of Christ, will deliver the keynote address.
Masks will be required.
“It will be a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King in observance of his legacy — and the legacy of that dream that essentially has brought us to where we are today as far as the social advancements and economical advancements” for minorities, said Kristopher Bond, president of MVSU’s Student Government Association.
From the 1950s through the 1960s, King, a minister, was a vocal proponent of civil rights for Black Americans, particulary those involving voting rights and desegregation. He was known for his use of nonviolent protests, an attribute that Bond said should still be practiced today.
“We don’t want to encourage violence; we want to encourage his peacefulness,” he said.
Bond added that King’s legacy still needs to be recognized and “embraced because we are still fighting for equal rights and justice and all, and we should honor his commitment to that.”
Bond said this includes the continued fight for voting rights, which has been at the center of attention recently as the Democratic Party is attempting to pass new federal voting rights legislation.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
