By DeNae Thomas
Assistant Lifestyles Editor
While some students are planning on taking a short trip or getting extra homework done this three-day weekend, others are looking forward to celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday by honoring the legacy of the nonviolent civil rights leader.
Members of the Black Student Union plan to attend the annual MLK day parade in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 20, and are extending an invitation to the entire Pepperdine community.
BSU members have attended the parade for the last few years, but this year are collaborating with Student Activities to reach out to more students.
“A distinction needs to be made to make sure that people know it is not BSU that is going, but that it is Pepperdine that is going,” said senior Justin Schneider, who is involved in BSU.
Although there are plenty of other things he could be doing, senior Pernell Marsh said he is going to the parade because he wants to respect the holiday and what it stands for.
“We cannot think of the holiday as just another day,” Marsh said. “We must not forget our history and think everything is hunky-dory when really there is still a lot of change that can happen.”
He added that he hoped the event would be an opportunity for other Pepperdine students to get to know the members of BSU.
Schneider said that the nonviolent civil rights leader has been an inspiration to him through the way he lived his life.
“King was just a man,” Schneider said. “But that should be further reason for everyone to be encouraged and encourage others to do more with their lives than they thought they could.”
Seen by many as one of the most influential men in American history, King was the youngest man to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. King was also arrested 30 times for his involvements in the civil rights movement and is best known for his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
King was shot by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. and his birthday was commemorated as a national holiday when former president Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1983.
Although a national holiday, Pepperdine added the holiday to its scheduled days off three years ago.
January 16, 2003
