What would King do?
October 24, 2007
An imprint was made 40 years ago on the campus of Sacramento State – one that will carry meaning for many more years to come.
“King was much more than a black civil rights leader,” said Clayborne Carson, keynote speaker of the University Convocation honoring an anti-Vietnam War speech given at Sac State by Martin Luther King Jr.
Sac State professors and community leaders joined Carson in discussing King’s speech.
People sat shoulder to shoulder in the University Union Ballroom as the panel members discussed their different views of what King means to them.
King paved the way for the world we live in, said David Covin, professor in Pan African Studies.
The panel of six, some of whom attended the anti-war speech 40 years ago, shared similar beliefs of how King’s actions were not always popular, but were what felt right to him.
A common theme of the discussion was how King would view the world as if he lived in it today.
Government professor Jeffrey Lustig stressed the importance of King’s life – not just a single event. He said King’s speeches aimed not only to change the present, but the future as well.
Sophomore Marcell Bradley said he wasn’t aware of King’s speech at Sac State, which was why he attended the discussion.
“I thought it was interesting to hear what King talked about when he came here,” he said. “I learned that he was much more than a civil rights leader and that he didn’t just fight for blacks’ rights, but for everybody’s.”
Some professors had their entire classes attend the panel discussion.
Boatamo Mosupyoe, director of Pan African Studies, said she had her class attend “because this is a historic event that has relevance to a wide range of topics.”
Professor Tim Hodson, a member of the panel, discussed the political content of King’s speeches. Hodson said King was a political risk-taker who stood by his beliefs, whether they were popular or not.
As people filed out of the University Union Ballroom, Democratic supporters were urging students to register to vote, while other Sac State groups, such as the Campus Progressive Alliance (CPA), set up booths to attract students.
CPA Secretary Mallory Savisaar set up a booth to influence students.
“We’re here in hope that the speeches would motivate people to take a stand against injustices that are going on today,” she said.
Assistant Professor Joseph Palermo, the last panel member to speak, urged those in attendance to move King’s struggle forward by continuing to improve the lives of everyone.
Jose Martinez can be reached at [email protected].
Click here to read about a demonstration happening during this panel discussion.
