LSU traditionally celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a bang.
And this year will be no different, said Maurice Gipson, MLK committee chair.
The committee has met every Monday since September to plan the two-week celebration, which will begin the first day of the spring semester. From a freedom walk to a candlelight vigil, this year’s celebration promises to be a success.
The one thing Gipson hopes will be different about this year’s celebration is diversity.
“We’re really trying to open the celebration to people of all races,” Gipson said.
What used to be a gospel choir performance will be an inter-denominational choir performance this year, he said. The committee has invited members of multiple faiths, including Islam and Catholicism, to participate in the event.
“Dr. King did not just try to change the black race, but the human race,” Gipson said. “He worked hard for mankind, and we all should celebrate him.”
Candice Adams, who serves on the MLK committee, said King’s message was unity for all races.
Adams also recognizes the prominence King has, particularly in the black community, she said.
Martin Luther King is the most significant empowerment figure in the black community, Adams said.
“He was so integral in gaining our civil rights,” Adams said. “He helped convince our community that we are not inferior.”
The MLK celebration will begin Jan. 19 with a candlelight vigil and a forum.
Students gather at the Memorial Tower for an official program to learn about King’s life and then walk around the campus, holding candles and singing, Gipson said.
Elizabeth Guillory, chair of the candlelight vigil committee, said it is usaully a time of personal reflection.
Then students attend a forum held in the Union where they discuss issues King addressed, Gipson said.
Guillory said students usually discuss the question of whether a figure like King is needed in society.
“We ask ourselves if we are still striving for the things Dr. King helped us accomplish,” she said.
There are activities throughout the entire week including a freedom run, musical celebrations and dramatic performances.
Adams has worked this the semester on the Unity celebration.
Students from LSU, Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College are invited to the celebration, Adams said.
“We are trying to emphasize that although we come from different universities, we are the same,” she said.
The two-week celebration ends Jan. 31 with the Day of Service.
“This is typically our most well-attended event,” Gipson said.
University students volunteered for the Day of Service this past year at three area schools, Guillory said.
Guillory said she hopes all students participate in the day of service and in the entire two-week celebration.