Maurice Gipson realized the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program was lacking diversity two years ago after reading a Reveille article describing the crowd.
“We want more unity and to be all-inclusive,” said Gipson, an education junior and the chairperson of MLK Commemorative Program Committee.
The MLK Commemorative Committee is a group of roughly 50 students who work year-round to prepare and execute the annual programs that celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil rights leader.
The celebration, which extends over a full week, began Monday and ends Saturday. Each day there is a program or activity aimed at promoting love and unity, Gipson said.
However, Gipson claims that the annual MLK Day of Service, where this year students will fix houses in the southern Baton Rouge area, is usually the only activity in the week-long celebration that gathers a diverse group.
“I don’t know why people choose to come to that program and not the other ones,” Gipson said.
The committee is attempting to bring diversity to the entire celebration by marketing it differently, Gipson said.
Instead of limiting the celebration to gospel, Gipson said the committee plans to center the celebration around non-denominational music.
Campus groups such as the African Students Organization, Catholic Student Association and Native American Student Association will showcase their cultures through a variety of artistic forms of expression, he said.
Gipson said he is “definitely seeing more participation from different groups on campus.”
Not having diversity takes away from the message of love and unity the committee is trying to promote, he said.
He said he believes the committee can help unify and diversify the campus through the MLK celebration.
History Professor Gaines Foster, who said he attended many University MLK Commemorative Programs, said while there are some white participants it would be better to see more.
Foster said it is unfortunate that some consider King to be a black hero rather than an American hero.
Foster also said issues such as segregation are not a universal concern in Baton Rouge. He added that a recent study or poll showed that in Baton Rouge, blacks rate civil rights as a more important issue than whites do.
Foster said it is important to commemorate King because he is arguably the most impressive figure in the modern era not to take government office.
The annual MLK Unity Reception, which brings together LSU, Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College, is a program that focuses on unity.
It includes a reception with students, chancellors and Student Government officials from each of the colleges.
During the reception the chancellors and Student Government officials sign a document committing them to unify the campuses, Gipson said.
Governor Kathleen Blanco signed an official proclamation declaring Monday Jan. 19 a state holiday in honor of King as her first official order of business Jan. 14, according to a press release.
“I am humbled to sign this proclamation honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 75th birthday and urge the citizens of Louisiana to use this day as a time of rest and reflection.”
“Dr. King led by example and showed us that nonviolent action is the most powerful force for social change,” Blanco said in a press release.