A packed house of all races gathered in the Union Theater on Wednesday night to hear a message of hope and unity at the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program.
The event was designed not only to honor King’s legacy but to use his message as a plan for action.
“We decided to go away from normal themes,” said Jason Wesley, a finance junior and chairperson of the MLK Committee. “We need to move from the dream to reality.”
The LSU Gospel Choir kicked off the evening with a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” followed by a performance of “We Shall Overcome.” The MLK Dance Ensemble also performed, encouraging people to “keep the dream alive,” which received loud whoops and hollers from the audience.
That message was continued by keynote speaker Myrlie Evers-Williams, former chairperson of the NAACP and widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
After receiving a standing ovation, Evers-Williams congratulated the performers for being positive role models, not only for African-Americans, but for the community in general.
      “It is this kind of experience that allows me to say that Dr. King, Medgar Evers and all the others –known and unknown — that we have nothing to fear,” Evers-Williams said.
Feeding off the audience’s excitement and cheers, Evers-Williams also encouraged them to be active in carrying out King’s message in their daily lives.
“Dr. King’s dream should not just be his dream. It should be the dream of each and every one of us,” Evers-Williams said. “Dr. King would have wanted us to reach out every day of the year.”
Audience members felt the event helped them honor Dr. King in a more active manner.
“Dr. Martin Luther King was a man of great character,” said Jhaelyn Odom, president of the Louisiana Leadership Institute. “He did a lot for African-Americans and helped shape who we are today,” she said.
Evers-Williams concluded by encouraging people to be active community citizens and honor those who give them hope for the future.
“Let us reach out to those in our own communities whose names don’t appear in the history books, those that we placed our feet on their shoulders to move forward,” she said.