Emily Ford – design chief
On Monday, Jan. 20, students and faculty alike gathered in the ballroom of the Overman Student Center. Preparations were well underway for the Martin Luther King Day of Service, hosted by Campus Activities and the Department of Inclusion and Belonging, allowing students, faculty, and friends of the University to give back to their community.
A ceremony opened the event, with speakers including Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Jon Bartlow; Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Belonging, Deatrea Rose; and guest artist and co-pastor of Lighthouse Temple Church of God in Christ, Anthony Simpson. These speakers gave students an introduction to the day, words of encouragement, and described what Martin Luther King Jr. Day meant to them.
“Today we’re honoring the life and legacy of the Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. by doing a day of service,” Rose said when describing the event. “This is a day on and not a day off, and this is something that gives students an opportunity to learn a little bit about who Dr. Martin Luther King is and to contribute to community service.” The speakers shared important quotes from MLK and the meanings behind them.
Simpson played a song on the saxophone that carried powerful meaning and representation of the day. He also shared a few words behind the way that he was taught about public speaking. He described the three questions to ask yourself when speaking to a crowd. The first being who the audience is, “Giving a speech outlined ‘How to roast a pig’ may not be good subject matter at a vegetarian convention.” The next is considering what an audience might need from the speaker, “I applaud you today because you are here. Maybe because you feel a tugging at your heart, maybe simply because somebody asked you to help, or maybe it’s the free beanies out front.” The last is considering why the audience is there, “Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?’ Times can seem like the world we live in can be a bit self-centered; we are constantly reminded that this is a dog-eat-dog world and that the creed ‘Every man for himself’ is the mantra of the day, but fortunately, I still see glimmers of selfless acts and hopeful gestures that encourage me that all is not lost.”
“So, students are going to be going out into the community,” Rose said when asked what events can be found throughout the day. “They’re going to be going out to one of our assisted living facilities, they’re going to be going to Salvation Army, a number of different places in town that allow us to come in and do some volunteer work for them.” Some other volunteer opportunities included helping out at a recycling plant, clearing paths, serving food to those who need it, and spending time with children.
As the years continue, the MLK Day of Service will continue to grow. “This is our second year doing the MLK Day of Service and I think as the word continues to grow, we get more and more students to volunteer,” Rose said when asked about the impact this event will have on the university and the community. “We have more volunteers this year than we did last year.”
Other community service events like this will be available to attend throughout the semester, so if some opportunities were missed, it will be possible to find others later in the future.