As a part of this year\u2019s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Black Student Association (BSA) held an MLK Day Dream Walk and Celebration, which included poetry readings and a walk around the front lawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCelebrating Dr. King is a refresher to remind us that there is a dream that can still be realized here in America, and I think that Christians can play a great role in that dream,\u201d BSA president senior Namon Pope said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attendees met on the front lawn to hear spoken word artists and to discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BSA sponsor Briana Cunningham said that while people often think the events of Dr. King\u2019s timeline happened a long time ago, there are still people alive today who went through that fight \u2014 including her mother, who was 25 years old when the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to have something that calls you back to remember where you\u2019ve come from, what other people had to go through to get you to where you are, and to help you to recognize whose shoulders you stand on,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of Monday\u2019s event was to walk the front lawn as a declaration of the commitment to continue Dr. King\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know that the work isn\u2019t finished yet,\u201d Pope said. \u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of great steps in the past few years of being a community that looks more like God\u2019s kingdom and treats everyone the way God wants us to be treated, and we know that there are still things to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think of it as the way of a relationship,\u201d Pope said. \u201cOur goal right now is for that relationship to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope said that while things may be done that are inappropriate or insensitive, a lot of the time it is because of a lack of awareness. He said that to help the University grow its relationship with its Black students, needs must be expressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instructor of Bible and Ministry Jason Darden said, although he has seen a lot of good changes on campus in the past 20 years, bias and prejudice still exist \u2014 even within Harding\u2019s loving community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to become more aware of other cultures and be sensitive and aware and engage in meaningful dialogue,\u201d Darden said. \u201cI would encourage students who are interested in more dialogue and understanding and even being a doer [to] partner with the BSA. Go to some of their meetings, figure out what they\u2019re doing and come alongside and support.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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