King's work not finished unless others carry on, speakers say

King's work not finished unless others carry on, speakers say

To many Americans, it is just another government holiday, but to the Black Student Union of Utah State University and many, many others, it is a day of reflection and regrouping.

The day is nationally known as Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, which this year marked the 75th anniversary of his birth. In remembrance of this civil rights crusader, assassinated in 1968, the Black Student Union organized a candlelight vigil.

The program included several speakers ranging from the white secretary of the Black Student Union, Doug Beazer, to a graduate of Utah State, Trysten Smith, who now is the chair of the Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission.
 

The president of the College of Democrats, Medlir Mema, of Albania, spoke on issues as how our civil rights are being attacked. He urged the audience to "awake from the slumber to which we have fallen and remember our dream again."

Another speaker perhaps captured the emotions of the audience when he expressed his life experiences dealing with segregation, and finding freedom in a dark world.

Phiwo Mnyandu, a student from South Africa and a Zulu tribal member, related accounts of his childhood in which he sometimes had to wear his mother's dress to conceal himself as a boy so that militant soldiers would not take him away. He also was among one of the first groups of students that allowed to learn with whites after such acts as the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act of 1953 was repealed in the early 1990s.

He said that he had been taught in school that King was a "communist agitator." Mnyandu recalled remembering the day that the cloud of propaganda and misinformation lifted. He was able to learn the works of civil rights leaders such as King, and stressed that everyone needs Dr. King’s teachings today more than ever.

This 19th anniversary of USU’s holding a candlelight vigil for MLK holiday sparked other high emotions from Ross Peterson, director of the university's Mountain West Center for Regional Studies. He stated that those assembled were not gathering in grief or in sorrow, but that they have an obligation to remember. 
Peterson noted that King's message was universal and timeless, and King lived in a time when people really cared.

"Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the doctrine of inclusion. Let us practice this doctrine," urged Peterson. "MLK Jr. became a symbol and a conscience of an era. Let us remember how many miles he walked."

The keynote speaker of the event was Trysten Smith, Utah State alumnus, and his words echoed that of the speakers before him. He shared some history of Martin Luther King, his home, his faith, his deeds. He strongly stated that Dr. King made race matter.

In closing, Gabe Carter, president of the Black Student Union, announced several events for Black History Month in February, and added his own mandate for the audience to remember why the day is celebrated.

He said, "Prejudice is a disease that anyone could catch."

He noted his own frustrations within himself and with prejudices, but added that Americans needed to maintain our vision to succeed.

The program closed with Latrice Banks, a senior majoring in political science singing, Amazing Grace. She lighted the first candle of the vigil, which then spread to all that had gathered for this event. As the audience held their burning candles, the sound of King's I Have a Dream speech filled the air. The crowd stood in a ponderous silence afterward as a amember of the audience, Melanie Dixon, led the gathering in singingAmazing Grace together to close the vigil.

By By Jill Prichard
Photos by Stephanie Olsen and Jill Prichard