As the country joined together yesterday to honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., Boston University celebrated the BU alumnus’s message of equality in a celebration of song, dance and spoken word in a packed George Sherman Union’s Metcalf Hall.
“The Word: A Celebration of the Poet, the Preacher and the Spoken Word Artist” gave nearly 500 community members a look at the interpretation of King’s message as seen by a choir, two reverends and a handful of poets.
The Rev. Dale Andrews, a Martin Luther King, Jr. professor of homiletics and pastoral theology, delivered a sermon highlighting King’s influence as a preacher. College of Arts and Sciences English professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky said in a speech he wanted to illustrate the power of words through poetry, discussing the need for Americans to observe the idea of “E Pluribus Unum.”
“I submit to you that the idea of the word ‘freedom’ with which we associate Martin Luther King, Jr. is related to the idea of integrity, the idea of oneness . . . in the American project of becoming a people,” Pinksy said.
“That is the project that that young man engaged in very energetically . . . he brought together many different frames of thought, many different kinds of belief and many intellectual projects,” he continued. “We nevertheless intend to become a people, which I believe, is up to the young people here.”
The Inner Strength Gospel Choir, led by Choir Director Herbert Jones, sang two songs between the speeches, and members of BU’s slam poetry group, Speak for Yourself, performed original pieces on diversity.
BU hip-hop dance group Soulstice danced to “No Weapon,” a performance Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said reflected the peaceful reconciliation King preached.
“When I asked them what they intended to do, they said, ‘we want to try to show, not only with the music, but also with our collaborative effort, a little bit of what Dr. King’s message was all about,'” Elmore said when introducing Soulstice.
Rev. Sakena Young-Saggs concluded the event with a procession to Marsh Chapel, where she led a blessing.
The 21st Martin Luther King, Jr. Day also provided colleges and universities across the country an opportunity to recognize the BU alumnus, performing service projects within their communities to bring people together and honor King’s legacy.
In Washington, D.C., the Howard University Community Association, along with other service programs from around the city, organized a clothing drive. Goods were donated to So Others Might Eat, a non-profit organization helping the poor and homeless. Every hour, the volunteers took part in a different activity to honor King.
Volunteers at Delta State University in Mississippi worked with young children from the Cleveland area to paint the walls of Cypress Park Elementary School with colorful murals portraying words embodied by King, including “respect” and “trust.”
“This is an opportunity to share in his idea of greatness, to learn about people who are different,” said Coordinator for Community and Student Engagement Tamika Eatmon. “It’s an opportunity for the diverse college student to come into this elementary school and work with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, to see how alike they are and how well they can work together.”
These projects observe the 1994 King Holiday and Service Act, designating yesterday’s holiday as a national day of volunteer service. According to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service website, instead of taking the day off from school or work, Congress encourages Americans to celebrate King by turning community concerns into citizen action.
“Dr. King was a dedicated public servant, and I think that’s something students should pull away from his legacy,” Elmore said.
The Corporation for National and Community Service works with many of these colleges and universities to design service projects and recruit volunteers.
“We encourage all organizations to do service on Martin Luther King Day and include time for reflection on the life and teaching of Martin Luther King Jr. so that his message won’t be forgotten,” said CNS public affairs specialist Siobhan Dugan. “We want people to listen to what he said about service and making the world a better place to live. We think of this as the living memorial to King.”
After the event, Elmore said one of the subtle but important aspects on college campuses owing gratitude to King are multi-ethnic and multi-racial universities.
“It’s very important that we remember that, but for the work of Dr. King and others like Dr. King in very recent times, we would not have these diverse campuses that we have,” he said.