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

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

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 30 text:

ot just a handout It's true we make a better day, just you and me . . . Let us realize that a change can only come when we stand together as one. -From We are the World, By Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie he song floated across campus as the line of people stood, their hands joined together, their voices echoing from the top of the hill to the bottom and lingering there. The human band stretched its way across campus from Wetherby Administration Building to Poland Hall. Individuals descended the sidewalk and zig- zagged down the steps. The sun shone brightly on clutched hands while a soft breeze blew hair around faces. There are no barriers here, jlohnetta Stagner, a Bowling Green senior, said. You are either a West- ern student or just working for a cause. It brings everybody on campus together. The cause was hunger in America, and the event was Hands Across Western. On Sept. 6 about 700 people formed a chain which helped to raise more than 51,500 for the National Hands Across Amer- ica fund and the local United Way. The line did not reach all the way across campus as organizers had hoped it would. Originally the line was to begin by Cherry Hall and end near the front doors of Pearce-Ford Tower. Each person paid to stand in the line. Many greeks and organizations bought blocks of the .Zz student tickets which allowed them to stay together 26 Student Life in 'one area. We wanted to stand together as a group to show our supportf' Rhonda Powell, a Franklin junior, said. I know other countries have hunger, too, but our country has its own hunger. I think it's a great thing to come together and help our own. Tommy johnson, a graduate student from Frank- lin, began coordinating the event three months in advance after he and a few other students thought of the idea. He said he had been unable to partici- pate in the national Hands Across America and wanted to plan something similar for the university. We wanted to make a dent in the hunger prob- lem, johnson said. That was our first objective. Our second goal was to see diverse student groups on campus working togetherf, johnson said that as far as he knew, Western was the first university to stage such an event. He said he would like to see the college continue to be a paceset- ICT. We would like Western to be the catalyst-the start of something big, johnson said. I hope we got the point across that we can make a difference. During an address to the crowd of participants at a welcome ceremony, johnson issued a challenge to other universities to join hands across their campus and to help fight hunger. Let's make this a start and not an end, he added. The national event, Hands Across America, oc- curred on May 25, 1986. Although that line did not stretch from coast to coast, more than 820 million was raised to aid the hungry and homeless in Amer- ica. One student who participated in the national event said he enjoyed Hands Across Western more. Leim Boland, an Elizabethtown senior, said he thought people could relate to this better because it's done on a local level. The day got started at IO a.m. on the south lawn on Downing University Center. Tables were set up for those who had not purchased tickets in advance. About 51,000 worth of tickets had been sold before the day of the event, and another S500 was made J hands, directing students to their designated areas and keeping the line from getting bunched up. Once everyone had linked hands, some began having fun by doing the wave with their bodies and singing along with songs coming out over the loudspeaker. Patriotic songs were led by former Miss Western Beth Delap Hamby and associate professor of music Elizabeth Volkman. We are the World and That's What Friends are For were sung by the Amazing Tones of Joy and Miss Black Western NaTasha Watkins. Some standing in line took the event as a serious commitment. It was ' nice as a service project and for the community as a whole, David Jones, a senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., said. jones had joined the from ticket sales that morning. The strong student body turnout made it a Y, ' success, johnson said. Fewer faculty members came, but johnson said the ones who did We would like Western to be the catalyst-the start of something big. Tommy Johnson a Morganfield freshman. I just bought my ticket The WKU Spirit Masters helped people to join t0day-U showed enthusiasm. chain along with other members of Kappa Al- pha Psi. Other students were just along for the fun. 'Tm tagging along with the Poland Hall staff, said Kathy Holt,