Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.will be honored on campus with an annual celebration coordinated by United Black Students (UBS). This year is all about fresh perspective.
The theme for 2013 week of festivities,“The Mountain Top,” will not only be a celebration of Dr. King, but also a chance for UBS to showcase its growth as an organization, demonstrate what it stands for, and maintain the tradition behind MLK week.
“MLK is always about his birthday, but this year we’re going beyond that,” UBS president Tiffany Ford said.
The Mountain Top will be going deeper into King’s legacy. While most are familiar with his “I Have A Dream” speech, the celebration will bring to light his lesser-known “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech. When he delivered that piece in April 1968, King claimed to have reached his peak and seen the Promised Land.
“He knows he might not reach and be able to see the prosperity, so he reminds people to lay the foundation for others,” said Ajiah Daley, first vice president of UBS and chair of MLK week. “This is a chance for people to get a renewed view of MLK.”
The UM community can look forward to a week filled with events aimed at shifting perspective.
“Students should really look forward to UNLearn: The Narrative,” Daley said. “A lot of people are mistaken. For example, Rosa Parks didn’t just decide to stay on the bus. She was chosen, she knew what she was doing and the movement that was being started.”
MLK week will kick off with an opening ceremony to bring the student body together and share in the history of MLK beyond racial boundaries.
Daley will present a speech to explain “The Mountain Top” theme and show a video montage of past events. Brian Blake, dean of graduate students, is also scheduled to speak at the opening ceremony on Tuesday at Shoma Hall in the School of Communication’s International Building.
“My favorite part of MLK has always been the opening ceremony,” Ford said. “It really unites students and gets people excited for the events. It shows what it’s all about.”