Members of the Baton Rouge community joined together to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream Tuesday night at the Baton Rouge Community College Pavilion Arts Theater.
Yolanda King, an actress, activist and Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, delivered the keynote address at the celebration, which brought leaders and administrators from Southern University, BRCC and LSU together to discuss issues concerning unity, diversity and community.
Yolanda King encouraged attendants not only to remember the achievements of her father but also to work toward achieving the dream he did not see fulfilled in his lifetime.
“The cause for which he lived is still a cause, and the dream he died for is still a dream,” she said.
Yolanda King recounted the story of the civil rights movement and wove her message of unity through her speech and accompanying theatrical performance.
She depicted the experiences of a black girl riding on the desegregated buses for the first time in Birmingham, Ala., a college student protesting for equality and a protester advocating equality at a Washington, D.C., march.
Yolanda King told attendants there is only 1 percent difference in people’s DNA – emphasizing how similar people are.
“We like to take that 1 percent, put a negative label on it and use it as an excuse to discriminate,” she said.
She did note, however, that those 1 percent of genetic differences generate subtleties in culture and language and create unique literature, art and music.
“We must celebrate these differences,” she said. “They are not going to go away. We must celebrate those differences until difference doesn’t affect how we treat each other.”
She said it is easy for young people to think about the civil rights movement as occurring a long time ago, but she pointed out that it was only 40 years ago.
She said some of the movement’s images may seem like images from “a horror story” – lynching, cross burnings, “whites only” signs, protests, water hoses and police dogs.
“It wasn’t a mirage, a documentary or even a reality TV show,” she said. “It was real.”
Yolanda King challenged those at the celebration to remember her father by making the choice to spread love and justice.
Michelle Gieg, LSU Student Government president, also offered a challenge for students who attended during her statements of commitment that the SG president of each university made.
“My commitment is to not be ignorant of the people [in the community],” she said. “My challenge to students is to challenge the norms that exist.”
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden said that it was eye-opening to him that it is still necessary to hold an event to bring Baton Rouge colleges together.
“We owe it not only to Dr. King but to the others who fought to make sure their lives and suffering have not been in vain,” Holden said.
Laurence Hebert, music senior who performed with the LSU Gospel Choir, said the dream has not yet been accomplished.
“While we’ve taken great strides, his actual dream isn’t near accomplished,” Hebert said.
Len Jewel Anderson, biological science freshmen, said Yolanda King’s speech was as much about diversity and difference as it was about the civil rights movement.
“The problems still exist today that were ‘squashed’ then,” Anderson said.
 
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