By Julia Barnes, News Correspondent
On Wednesday afternoon, Northeastern students, local high school students and other admirers gathered in the Cabral Center to celebrate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 85th birthday. This event was sponsored by the John D. O’ Bryant African-American Institute as part of the 50 Years Forward: The Journey Continues Series, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
Dr. Richard O’ Bryant, the director of the institute, was pleased by the great turnout and gave a warm welcome to the audience before presenting a rousing TEDx Teen video titled “Anonymous Extraordinaries.” The audience watched as 20-year-old Chicago native Natalie Warne spoke of how, like King, she had a dream to stop injustice.
When Warne was 17, she volunteered for the Invisible Children campaign against the war in Africa. While she enjoyed the fame that came with her success, she was more proud of her accomplishment. She could do something extraordinary like the men and women who helped King in his movement.
The celebration also consisted of a musical selection by the Unity Gospel Ensemble, a reflection by a Ujima scholar and a brief but concise speech by Emmett Price, an associate professor of music at Northeastern.
After some initial hesitation, several people from the diverse audience came on stage to reflect on how King’s message of unity, non-violence and ambitions affected their lives.
Among the participants was Han Lin Zhou, a Northeastern University global pathways student. Originally from China, Zhou explained that because of the lack of diversity in his country, he did not know what discrimination was. “I’m so glad I came,” said Zhou. “Before I came to America I just [knew] Martin Luther King [was a] civil rights leader.”
However, hearing King’s “I Have a Dream” speech helped him realize that dreams are not limited to any one race. “This spirit is the whole world,” said Zhou. “I feel this power in everybody’s heart to believe him, to follow him.”
Another student acknowledged that people often interpret the speech to mean looking beyond skin color. Taking an African American studies course helped her realize that it could also be interpreted to mean appreciating the beauty of diversity.
“I think it’s important for people to know about black history and black culture,” said freshman Ujima scholar Akira Brown. “I think that it’s important to acknowledge it.”
Brown, who is planning on declaring a major in behavioral neuroscience, said she enjoyed the program as a whole. She particularly admired Warne’s speech, because it gave the message; “ You don’t have to do things for money or the fame, you can just do it because that’s what you believe in.”
The program ended with audience members joining the University Gospel Ensemble in a collective “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”
When asked what King would think of the event, Brown responded, “I think he’d be proud of all the young people trying to learn about the image he set.”
