MLK Day inspires students to march

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of change, struggled for equality and built his goals on a foundation of advocacy. Monday on IU’s campus, students helped to solidify many of King’s values by participating in celebratory events in his honor.

The MLK Day march, which began at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Third Street and Jordan Avenue, started off quiet with a small group of students, all black.  

Bloomington resident Duncan Searle, who is white, joined the group, bike in tow.
Searle said he was looking forward to watching King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, which played at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center after the group arrived at the building. He said King’s legacy is continued by the celebration.

“The job’s not done yet,” Searle said. “His work is still ongoing.”

Once the group grew to about 20 students, the march to Neal-Marshall began. They attempted to walk in the middle of the street, where many of King’s marches were, but cars refused to pass the group, provoking them to step into the bike lane.

One student joked and shouted to her friend, who was playing it safe by walking on the sidewalk.

“You’re walking to class. Get off the sidewalk!”

After sipping on hot chocolate and listening to King’s speech, the group proceeded to the Unity Summit at Willkie Auditorium. There, attendees were invited to take a number, enjoy lunches provided by BuffaLouie’s and sit down at the table that corresponded to their number.

The auditorium was almost completely filled with students of all races conversing with each other.

The summit began with ice breakers and then the event took on a more serious note. Students engaged in conversation with table mates about discrimination, racism and differences. Their questions shed light on issues such as homophobia, racial slurs and discriminatory acts. They also discussed the fact that everybody has done or said something offensive – consciously or not – at some point.

Freshman Ariel Rowley said she was glad to participate in the discussion because it made her realize the prominence of racism today.

“We have all done racist things,” Rowley said. “A lot of us have had racist things happen here.”

Junior Shawn Major-Winston was relieved that there were ground rules to facilitate the discussions, some of which included “be open, be honest, be respectful of each other and confidentiality.”

Major-Winston said these rules helped him feel comfortable with the situation.

“There are some things you want people to know about your people,” Major-Winston said.

He explained that discrimination is rooted from the misunderstanding of something, which leads to fear, which then provokes discrimination.

“You try to belittle your fear and conquer it,” he said.

For the second half of the program, students discussed comments written on “Write My Mind” project posters, which were distributed at different locations on campus. Issues discussed included health care and immigration reform as well as advocacy for minority and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.

Students then took turns with the microphone and spoke to the entire room. They expressed their tables’ thoughts and ideas about how to take advocacy to the next level, either on campus or in the community.

Sophomore Renee Davis said she enjoyed the summit and thought it helped a potpourri of students connect on an intimate level.

“I really love this type of experience,” Davis said. “Being open and honest with each other, this is where we can make small changes. If Dr. King was here, he’d be really proud of us.”