Elizabeth Duncan
Staff Writer
Jackson State University students, faculty, staff, and other members of the community participated in the 55th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Convocation held on Jan. 14, 2023 at the Margaret Walker- Stringer Grand Lodge.
The convocation started in high spirits as attendees sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” led by James Fuller, a senior vocal education major from Jackson Miss,
After a welcome from JSU President Thomas K. Hudson, City of Jackson Mayor Antar Lumumba, shared how laws Dr. King fought for remain prevalent today and continue to be implemented in Jackson, Miss.
“When I think today about the issue of people not having security of things like water, which is certainly a subject that we broach every day, when certain parts of our city have the security of it, while other parts of our city don’t, that seems to remind me of things like ‘separate but equal.”
Lumumba also stated, “This (MLK celebrations) can become somewhat of a perfunctory exercise…it is important that we understand, as it has been said previously, that those who do not know their history are bound to repeat it.”
Joshua Edwards, the 6th Mister JSU, introduced Charlie Cobb, the keynote speaker.
Cobb is an activist, journalist, and 2023 For My People award recipient. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1943 and later decided to further his education at Howard University in 1961.
Just a year later in 1962, Cobb went to work as a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi and moved from his hometown and came to accept Mississippi as his second home.
“Returning to this state, I always feel I’ve come back home. In many ways who I am today begins in Mississippi,” said Cobb.
As a journalist, Cobb was an on-air writer for FRONTLINE on PBS and then became the first black staff writer for the National Geographic Magazine.
Cobb is also co-author with civil rights organizer Robert Moses on “Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project.
Cobb’s speech encouraged students to speak up for themselves, be proud of where they come from, and fight for what’s right. Similar to the legacy King left behind many years ago.
The audience seemed to be receptive to Cobb’s message and he ended his speech with a strong message to the audience.
“People who keep their eyes on the prize, and today this need is more urgent than it has ever been, and perhaps more possible.”
Cobb made sure to emphasize the importance of being involved in the community.
“You have to make a demand for the kind of society in which you want to live, especially if you want to live in a free society,” Cobb said. “As we used to say, ‘freedom is not free.’”
Jackson State students that were in attendance agree that without the help of King’s vision it would have taken even more time to make a change.
David Saulter, a junior physics major from Jackson, Miss., expressed the impact King has on lives today.
“MLK’s vision has made the world a more equal place,” Saulter said. “If not an equal one, then it has helped to ensure that all minorities have a voice in today’s society.”
Jamal Harris, a junior biology-pre physical therapy major from Jackson, Miss., also shared the positive impact King has had in his life.
“He showed me that you do not have to be violent to promote change,” Harris said. “Peace is the only route to take when seeking justice because peaceful determination drives individuals to greater heights.”
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