Alabama State University Celebrates the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Alabama State University was once a place Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walked the halls and talked with students and teachers.
On Tuesday, the campus paid tribute to the civil rights icon with its annual MLK Convocation
It was a packed house inside the Ralph D. Abernathy College of Education auditorium.
There, ASU students and visitors were inspired by a message on the entitled “The Fierce Urgency of Now.”
“It was a powerful and wonderful experience for all who were here,” ASU President Dr. Quinton Ross says.
The message was brought by Pastor Courtney Meadows
Meadows pastors First Missionary Baptist Church in Whitehall, Alabama.
He spoke about coming together against the problems many across the state and the nation are facing.
“If we’re going to go forward, not allow history to repeat itself, we’re gonna have to reclaim that sense of unity, community, and stand in the fire of the fierce urgency of now,” Meadows says.
He says it’s important for students to continue to the legacy left behind by Dr. King, in the place where civil rights was born- Montgomery.
“We’re the birthplace, we gave something to the world,” Meadows says. “And if we don’t continue to lead the way, then we’re going to find ourselves as the birthplace allows others across this world to celebrate with a greater perspective than us.”
Students told me after the convocation that they were inspired to follow in King’s footsteps and want to work harder to achieve their goals.
“Success comes with a strategy that you know, I want to be a lawyer when I grow up so I have to strategize correctly in order to get the places I want to go,” ASU student Charity Glover says.
“If we’re less selfish and we’re really paying attention to others and give a helping hand to others, we can progress more in the world,” ASU student Jordan Bates says.
ASU President Dr. Quentin Ross says there’s still a long ways to go to improve all human rights, but everyone can help play a role.
“To ensure that all people are treated equal, to make sure all people have the opportunity to pursue life and happiness,” Ross says.
Ross also says in lieu of all that is taking place in the country, he says he hopes others will revisit the strategy of Dr. King and will work toward making the lives around them better.
King used to study for his doctorate in the ASU library and was known for eating lunch with faculty in the dining hall.
