Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observed by Some UAM Students

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Students Observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Latoya Shelton
Staff Writer

In 1983 the United States Congress designated the third Monday of January as a national holiday in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On Tuesday, Jan.16, Jason Bailey, president of the University of Arkansas at Monticello chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha and his brothers honored his dream by attempting to educate the student population about King and his works.

“My impression is that they know about Martin Luther King, but this is 2007,” Bailey said. “I mean, they know the basics but it’s hard for them to give him appreciation for what he did.”

In this memorial celebration, King’s words came to life when read by members of the UAM Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Yet, some feel that the holiday and the memorial were lost on most students.

“I feel that the younger generation doesn’t care. It’s just that you are out of school or you're out of work,” UAM junior Corey Thomas said.

Other students believe that the student body only shows interest when entertainment is offered instead of education.

“No one would show up unless there was a party and there was music,” Alpha Phi Alpha brother Jacob Smith said. He also said his fraternity has sponsored numerous events in the past about sexual awareness, and they were met with just as much enthusiasm.

Nonetheless the day long service went on.

“A lot of people don’t know about Martin Luther King; they don’t know about his struggle,” Alpha Phi Alpha brother Arlando “Peewee” Wilson said. “It’s hard to do stuff like that when you know people aren’t going to show up.”

Is missing work and school enough to honor the memory of a man who sought to end the civil unrest that was tearing this country apart? The 1960s were a turbulent time in America. Our nation was brought to its knees by racism, riots and bloodshed.

When the president declared war, King demanded peace; when racists shouted messages of hate, he said “love thy brother.” King saw nonviolence as the only way to effectively defeat an enemy saying, “And through your suffering and your willingness to accept blows without retaliating, you, at that moment find yourself working on the conscience of the opponent. You are exposing his moral defenses, you are weakening his morale.”

King has been, and continues to be, honored and remembered by human rights organizations, presidents and religious leaders. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. Over 730 streets in the U.S. have streets named after him. His name is synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, and his words continue to echo through time.

Is today’s world the realization of his dream? If you missed the celebration of King’s work, then perhaps you can honor him by reading his words:

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now; we’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountaintop. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. And I’m so happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

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