by Jerreck McWilliams
Staff writer
History was celebrated recently at Southeastern, specifically the memory of the historical figure Martin Luther King Jr. on his national memorial holiday.
To celebrate and pay their respects to King, Southeastern’s Dean of Students Camille Phelps and the Office of Student Life organized the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan 16.
More than 80 students, staff and faculty met in the Glen D. Johnson Student Union Auditorium to take part in the Day of Service.
After Phelps finished her introduction and a brief history of King, the participants split into groups, rode in vans to Durant’s public elementary schools, Northwest Heights, Washington Irving and Robert E. Lee, and read stories about King to the children.
Bree Labeth, a sophomore physical therapy major, was one of the students who visited Northwest Heights Elementary School. After reading to the children, her group asked Ms. Blackburn’s third grade class what they thought about the book.
Labeth said she was shocked that a third grader was so aware of the Civil Rights Movement, referring to one girl who asked not only about King but also about the Women’s Rights Movement.
Labeth said her favorite question, however, came from a boy who asked if Southeastern had “pet and man fights” at their school. Labeth said she could only guess what he might have meant.
Upon their return from reading to the elementary school children, the participants met again in the Student Union Auditorium for a brief presentation about King which included watching a video of his final speech on April 3, 1968 before he was assassinated.
During this presentation, Phelps recounted how, 14 years ago, five students from the Black Student Association at Southeastern raised concerns that the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday was not being celebrated here at SE. That same year, SE began celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day by letting classes out to give students time for reflection and to honor King. They also began sending students into Durant’s schools to encourage their school system to do the same.
Phelps announced that this was the last year SE would be going to Durant’s schools to educate children about King because, starting next year, Durant will be celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day by letting out their classes as well.
Phelps expressed her pleasure in this news during the presentation, as well as her appreciation for the students, staff and faculty who have given their time to take part in helping spread the message of King: “You could have been anywhere else today, but you chose to be here. You chose to serve. Thank you for coming out to be a part of this day of service.”
She also announced plans for next year. “I am interested in doing a community wide event here in Durant. It is in its infancy stage, and we will create a committee to look at it. I think it would be a great experience for all concerned,” said Phelps.
Like Southeastern, many other schools around the nation release classes for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Nobel Prize.org states that King began and led the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960s.
He was, according to Martin Luther King Jr. Online, “one of the world’s best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies,” and American Rhetoric placed his “I Have a Dream” speech as No. 1 on their list of the top 100 Most Memorable Speeches.