Forty years after he delivered his “The Future of Civil Rights” speech at Sacramento State, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy perseveres as students, faculty, staff, community members and others attend a celebration in his memory today in the University Union Ballroom.

The evening celebration consisted of several speakers, including Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez, Stanford University history professor Clayborne Carson and political writer Juan Williams.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Community Choir and Martin Luther King, Jr. Mass Choir performed during the festivities, along with Sacramento Black Art of Dance and the Department of Theatre and Dance.

A video of King’s speech was played for those who did not witness him deliver his speech at Sac State.

Karen Chu, junior business major, said her favorite event of the entire day was the speech given by Juan Williams.

“Everything that (Juan) says is a reminder and a reflection of how much society has progressed,” she said.

Senior communications major Myrna Curiel said the 40th Anniversary Celebration was a chance for her to observe how King influenced not only students at Sac State, but also those across the nation.

“I’ve learned that there are a lot of (struggles with stereotypes and discrimination) that (as a society) we still must overcome,” she said.

Britney Rossman, sophomore journalism major, said the celebration was “absolutely amazing.” The event gave her the opportunity to learn about many issues the world still faces, such as poverty and stereotypes, she said.

Students from other institutions also joined the celebration to honor King.

Ronnie Damato, a student from Wyoming Technical Institute, said the celebration gave him a clear understanding of what King represented.

“Reverend King was an inspiration to the oppressed population. He was known for his revolutionary ideas and persistence to stand up for what was right during a period when society was not ready to accept what he had to say,” he said.

Stan Oden, government professor, said the celebration was a wonderful event.

“It shows the spirit the Martin Luther King, Jr. brought to the Sacramento State campus 40 years ago can still be relived for at least one day and one night,” he said.

He said people should move forward by getting themselves focused and educated on the issues King stood for.

Princess Garnace can be reached at [email protected].

Click here to read about the first panel discussion of the day, which featured Carson and talk of how King would see today’s world.

Click here to read about the second panel discussion of the day, which featured Williams and talk of the media’s influence on equal-rights movements.