SEMO hosted the annual MLK Celebration Dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 21, in the University Center Ballroom, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a buffet dinner and speech.
This year’s theme was “The Power of Education and the Value of Community”, featuring Dr. Adrian Taylor Th.D., founder of Lighthouse United Church in Cape Girardeau, as keynote speaker.
Taylor spoke to the effectiveness of peaceful resistance as a tool for change and the importance of compassion and community, based on the values that Dr. King incorporated into the Civil Rights Movement.
“Why was the historical movement powerful? Because it was fueled by life,” Taylor said. “Why is it so amazing for us to get together and talk about the life of Dr. King? Because it’s a legacy of love.”
Taylor focused heavily on Dr. King’s famed Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the Bible, and how their respective messages apply to today’s society.
Michele Irby, director of Campus Life and Event Services, said the event is both a learning opportunity and a source of community.
“I really believe that we learn as much from things outside the classroom as we do inside the classroom,” Irby said. “So we try to provide these experiences that allow us to think differently, to broaden our perspectives, maybe sit at a table with someone you didn't know before you got here.”
Irby said this year’s dinner differed from previous years in that the speaker is local.
“We’re really caring about how we bring community to Cape Girardeau and the surrounding areas,” Irby said.
Junior TV and film major Cameron Duncan was the student host and Master of Ceremonies for the dinner. Duncan said this event mattered to him, especially as an African American student.
“They host these types of events to show that SEMO loves and endorses the Black students here, especially with us just being 7-8% on campus,” Duncan said. “It shows love to the Black community here and shows that we matter.”
Duncan said he found this year’s theme regarding community to be meaningful to him.
“I don’t think we love and adore each other a lot in this world,” Duncan said. “I think that needs to be valued more.”