More than 300 people attended a lighted vigil honoring Martin Luther King Jr. last night, where they sang songs of empowerment like. This Little Light of Mine and We Shall Overcome while marching through the center of campus.
Jan. 16, which would have been King’s 77th birthday, was also the 20th anniversary of the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the kickoff of a series of events the Office of Multicultural Affairs has planned in King’s honor.
The vigil began at the Memorial Tower with the lighting of candles, which were actually plastic lights used instead of candles to ensure safety, said Daine Appleberry, business sophomore and a coordinator for the vigil.
The procession moved down Tower Drive to Dalrymple Drive and ended at the Atchafalaya Room in the Union for students to engage in a discussion with a panel of experts about diversity and racism.
Terry Griffin, engineering sophomore, said the lighting was in honor of King and symbolic of how the participants were trailblazers who should follow in King’s footsteps.
It honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s being, said Katrice Albert, vice provost of equity and diversity. Being able to process with candlelight shows the students commitment to [King’s] works.
Chancellor Sean O’Keefe, who participated in the march, said that by no means has America yet realized King’s vision for equality.
We’ve made remarkable progress, but we have a long way to go, O’Keefe said. It’s something you have to recommit yourself to every day. It’s a never-ending challenge.
O’Keefe said the protests and demonstrations organized as a result of the Confederate flag this past semester were examples of effective activism.
I was very impressed with how constructive folks on campus are toward creating lasting change, O’Keefe said.
Nika Carter, African-American studies junior, said the Confederate flag protests were reflective of the works of King because they were non-violent.
Carter said she wished there had been a more diverse group participating in the march so people watching would know: It’s not so much a black thing but a thing for everybody.
At the forum, students and the panelists raised issues including institutional racism, the Confederate flag, racism in the media and diversity on campus.
Roberta Madden, panelist and director of women’s health and public policy for the YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge, said the problem is one of a lack of understanding because most white people are in a state of denial.
Madden, who is white, said 95 percent of the media and Fortune 500 companies are run by white males.
Either white males are smarter and working harder than any other people or something is terribly wrong with the system, Madden said.
At the beginning of the forum, Albert honored John Hamilton, dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication, with the 2006 MLK Unsung Hero Presentation for his activism in advancing diversity and multicultural inclusion in journalism.
This week’s MLK events will continue with a Commemorative Program on Wednesday at the Union Theater featuring Clayborne Carson, a biographer of King.
 
Contact Rebekah Allen at [email protected]