Alcorn students honor Dr. King’s legacy
One of the highlights of the month of January is the celebration of one of the world’s greatest leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Monday, January 19, the nation honored Dr. King’s legacy as a civil rights leader with numerous parades and speaking engagements. Dr. King’s fight for equality is appreciated among the students at Alcorn State University. Ryshine Lucas, a junior psychology major, expressed the importance of teaching youth about Dr. King and the sacrifice he made on behalf of minorities.
“I honor Dr. King’s legacy by being a positive person and making sure the younger generation know about who he is and his accomplishments,” said Lucas. “I do this because I don’t want Dr. King’s dream to fade away.”
Micheal Riley, a junior psychology major, keeps Dr. King’s dream alive by applying his teachings of equality and social justice to his life.
“I am an advocate for equality,” said Riley. “I do not discriminate against color, gender, or race. Be yourself. We will never be as free as we want to be because we are constantly placing social chains on ourselves. I live my life looking for ways to make a difference and change things that aren’t fair. I believe that I definitely honor Dr. King’s legacy by doing so.”
Last year was filled with protest due to the murders, which were committed by police officers, of Ferguson, Mo. teenager Mike Brown and New York resident Eric Garner. The events drew lots of protests and criticism of the police. Senior mass communications major Dominique Woods believes that Dr. King would admire the willingness of today’s generation to protest, but would prefer them to have been more peaceful in their rallies.
“Dr. King would be proud of people standing for what’s right, but he would have encouraged a non violent protest,” said Woods. “Incidents such as the events in Ferguson caused the youth to go out and stand for what’s right. Dr. King not only had a dream, he wanted us all to continue to stand for what is right. Even though he is not with us today, his legacy and hard work is still alive and in us.”
