Celebrating a legacy

Faculty, students and community members gathered Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings on racial equality as part of the Unity Summit, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center’s annual event.\nThe attendees, including more than 100 faculty, students and community members from different backgrounds, came together to promote diversity education. \nThe Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall, which was filled with round tables for interactive discussion rather than lecture, housed the summit. \nDirector of Diversity Education Eric Love and his student staff coordinated the annual event by posing questions to initiate conversation throughout the hall. \n“Everyone’s opinion has value and everyone’s opinion is respected at the Unity Summit,” Love said. “One of the best things about this event is for people of different backgrounds and ethnicities to get a chance to sit at a table with others whom they’ve never talked to or conversed with.” \nSeveral Indiana residents not affiliated with IU supported the event and helped convey the message of peace and civil dialogue on campus. \n“I came to this event to see what IU does for MLK day celebrations,” said Emmanuel Francois, a new Bloomington resident. “On holidays I’m not used to doing anything in New York, where I am from. Eric is a mentor to me. He gives me good advice and I know he wouldn’t steer me wrong.” \nAside from the roundtable discussions, many IU staff and students from different cultural organizations came to expound on IU’s diversity. \nClaire King, IU director for community outreach and partnerships in service, spoke at the event, highlighting the book “10 Ways to Fight Hate\non Campus.” \n“There’s so many times when we let something go and don’t speak up,” King said of a racial dispute. “Just the voice of the individual student alone can change the way people act, think and feel.” \nMany students said it was important to understand King’s belief in promoting unity by discussing racial issues. \n“Dr. King is a man who stood up for equal rights,” senior Tyren Edenburgh said. “He is a role model to me because he showed leadership in every capacity.” \nLove said the event was beneficial for the students because they learned from different people’s experiences, and more importantly, conversed with other students to whom they previously would not have even said hello.\n“Year after year this has been a high point for the students who attend this event,” said Doug Bauder, office coordinator for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services. “At this unity summit we share our similarities and differences with each other.” \nThe summit proved that Martin Luther King Jr.’s lessons will continue to help strengthen the community not only at IU, but all across the map, Love said.\nAt the conclusion of the event, an attendee stood up and said, “We need to continue to fight for the dream.”