His courage will not skip this generation
A very impressed Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, keynote speaker at
James Madison University’s formal program to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.,
started his address by saying, “This is the most elaborate King celebration
I’ve been a part of and I’ve been a part of many.” He thanked the university for taking King’s
“moment of memorial” seriously and recognized the students, faculty and
community members who came out to celebrate his personal hero. The formal program is sponsored by the Center
for Multicultural Student Services and a committee of students planned the
evening. The theme for this year's MLK celebration week was "His Courage Will Not Skip This Generation."
The formal program, a highlight of the 26th annual MLK
celebration week at JMU, honored King through song, drama, community
recognition and Hill’s keynote address.
For Lamitra Barnes, a junior theater major from Richmond, Va., who
participated in the ceremony, the formal program was a chance to share her
passion for King through her talent of acting.
“With his voice and his vision we can revolutionize our world and we can
make a change,” said Barnes to the audience.
JMU President Jonathan Alger participated in his first MLK
celebration week and offered remarks at the formal program. He emphasized the need for civil discourse
and access to education. “Dr. King
taught us that with education comes responsibility,” said Alger. “The mere accumulation of knowledge is not
enough and should not be our goal.”
Alger then quoted King, “We must
remember that intelligence is not enough.
Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
The Contemporary Gospel Singers performed and students
dramatized a scenario depicting interracial dating. Senior Tatiana Torruella introduced the
elementary, middle and high-school winners of the community essay contest that
asked students to help King write a speech on bullying. Diane Strawbridge, director of the Centennial
Scholars program at JMU, was presented the community service award by Kenneth
Gilliam, president of the Xi Delta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
Inc.
Hill’s passionate keynote address challenged the crowd to
make connections from King’s life to the present time. Hill emphasized five points: listen
carefully, remember truthfully, discern wisely, act bravely and hope
relentlessly. Speaking directly to the
college students present Hill said that King understood the value and energy
that come from young people. “If we are
going to have a social movement, if we are going to articulate a social vision
and then perform it in public we need young people,” said Hill. “If we are going to have a coherent social
movement in this country of any sort it must include young people.”
The evening ended with a candlelighting ceremony led by
Alger followed by a procession of community members, JMU administrators,
faculty and students representing departments and organizations from around
campus. Student body President Matthew
Klein lit a candle. “In SGA's role on campus to serve and represent the students of JMU, I
can only hope that we function and strive for the same principles of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. As we come to JMU to enrich our education, Dr. King also
stressed its coupling with an individual's character in order to truly create
impactful people.”
Barnes said she was moved by the evening’s events. “Especially seeing how MLK’s vision is still
alive and continues to grow and sharing this with JMU and the Harrisonburg
community,” she said. “If it weren’t for
Dr. King I wouldn’t even be here, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do or be at
such a diverse school.”
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January 22, 2013
