Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

Page 28 text:

Black hile keepers of a dream marched in Forsyth County, Ga., and a cultural center sprang up on the University Kentuclcy's campus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jrfs birthday was the center of celebration and controversy on the Hill. The Amazing Tones of joy, a gospel choir and the largest mostly black student organization on campus, led the tribute to King on Jan. I9 with a program in the auditorium of Garrett Conference Center. The importance of African-American heritage and culture was the subject of a lecture by Ken Nelson, staff assistant to the dean of the Graduate College. That same night, I5 students and faculty braved freezing winds for a candlelight march from Downing University Center to Garrett Conference Center. Sam McFarland, a psychology instructor and adviser of United Campuses to Prevent Nuclear War, spoke about King's stands for justice. Meanwhile, for the second consecutive year, an Associated Student Government resolution to honor King's birthday failed amid much tension and politiclcing. -The student organization had During the Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration, Julius Key, a Detroit, Mich., junior, listens carefully to a speaker. The celebration was held in the State Street Baptist Church. M3 tt 45 1 F? W, M ,I ,W

Page 27 text:

1 , t .ai 'frklv 1 r. df -'-3 2 A I f' .3 - v. lr , 1. '- ' - , I 1- 5,1 xf ?'.- 1 'fy ffm W , ,za r' Ha F f- -i ' .

Page 29 text:

UNM llUllllAY popular demand hoped to pass a resolution to have classes canceled that day. At I4-12, the vote was much closer than the IQ-5 tally in 1986. But politicking was as fierce and tension just as high. Opponents cited the administration's reluctance to dismiss classes and the fact that classes were held on holidays honoring other national heroes as reasons for voting against the resolution. However, those points were secondary to Adrian Smoot, a freshman representative from Franklin and an author of the resolution. King didn't just fight for the rights of blacks, Smoot said. He fought for all men and women of all races to be equal. Leaders of predominantly black student organizations expressed regret that, aside from the annual Martin Luther King Forum on issues of world concern, the university has not honored King's birthday more substantially. But the presidents seemed divided over the issue of canceling classes. I think if you look at it, we don't set out for Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday, said David Padgett, a Baltimore, Md., senior and president of Black Scholastic Achievers QBSAQ. Were classes to be canceled for King's birthday, People would stay on the pillow until the afternoon, and they'd probably get drunk Sunday night and spend Monday sobering up, Padgett said. ,....- llllHlll KING. Jll ai 9 Marchale Graves, a Nicholasville junior and president of United Black Students QUBSJ, disagreed. It's disappointing to me that around the world people have accepted fthe holidayj and Western doesn't feel it's worth a day off to give the respect due to Martin Luther King, she said. Lexington senior Monica Johnson, president of the Amazing Tones of Joy, said she understood both sides of the debate. I don't think people should try to close class just because other schools are, she said. Instead, schools should cancel classes only if they augment the closing with commemorative activities, she said. I'd like to see fthe holiday, used in a positive way. When Black History Month came in February, many of the organizations strived to expose the public to the accomplishments of black Americans. Black By Popular Demand was the name of a variety show sponsored by the Amazing Tones of joy. Songs, dances and monologues provided a medium for blacks to showcase their talents, johnson said. BSA posted a This Week In Black History calendar in the university center lobby to highlight moments in black history for each day of the month, Padgett said. Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity won the BSA- sponsored Black History Trivia Game Show II, defeating Western Kentucky Minority Communicators in the final round for the second year. UBS showed the 90-minute film Memphis To Montgomery and showcased achievements of famous black Americans for three days during the last week of the month. Poor planning, Graves said, resulted in the cancellation of a panel discussion and a special ceremony earlier in February. Regardless, black student organizations presented positive images of blacks at a time when blacks were often negatively stereotyped in the media. Mervin Aubespin, associate editor of development for The Courier-journal, put it best: Were I a visitor from another country and had never met a black person before, from what I read in the newspapers and saw on television, I would think that all black people do is eat chicken and watermelon, play sports, crack jokes and shoot each other. And during january and February, Western's black student organizations presented more than comedians and chicken-eaters. I -Story by LaMont jones jr. -Photos by Greg Lovett l A woman holds a tattered and wom copy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches at the State Street Methodist Church. In commemoration of King's death, many Bowling Green residents joined together. As rain pours down on their umbrellas, several Bowling Green residents march up State Street as a part of the celebration of King's birthday. The crowd carried banners and flags with them. 25 Black history