Monday was a great day for Grambling State University to show its respect towards the most honorable, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. To celebrate, the university and campus organizations had tons of activities planned.
The festivities started at the Performing Arts Center at 5 p.m. with a march led by Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Dwain Herbert, a member of the Epsilon Delta chapter of Iota Phi Theta, read a short snippet from Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech. Students linked arms and sang hymns as they marched to Eddie the Tiger statue—located in front of Long-Jones Hall.
“I feel like it was a great ceremony,” said Bryon Granderson, also a member of Iota Phi Theta. “The march helped students relate to what our ancestors went through during the Civil Rights movement.”
Awaiting the students at the tiger statue was a line of faculty, student representatives, members of Favrot Student Union Board, Student Government Association, Calendar Girls, and the Royal Court who passed out and lit candles in remembrances of the Civil Rights leader.
Then the group walked to the Black and Gold Room for a powerful speech from District Attorney John Belton.
Belton spoke about the success of his election and related it to the triumphs of our people that King strived with during the Civil Rights Movement. He addressed how we raise our children as future leaders of America and even thanked Grambling State on his success at winning his election and for sending our votes to other black electoral positions.
There was also a musical selection from the GSU University Choir, comments from Miss Grambling Ginia Smith and a few members of FSUB and a three-part poem about Black history and culture from Lyrical Quest.