Elizabeth Duncan
\n<\/span>Staff Writer\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

The convocation started in high spirits as attendees sang \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing\u201d led by James Fuller, a senior vocal education major from Jackson Miss,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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\u2019t, that seems to remind me of things like \u2018separate but equal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lumumba also stated, \u201cThis (MLK celebrations) can become somewhat of a perfunctory exercise\u2026it is important that we understand, as it has been said previously, that those who do not know their history are bound to repeat it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joshua Edwards, the 6th Mister JSU, introduced Charlie Cobb, the keynote speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReturning to this state, I always feel I\u2019ve come back home. In many ways who I am today begins in Mississippi,\u201d said Cobb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cobb is also co-author with civil rights organizer Robert Moses on \u201cRadical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cobb\u2019s speech encouraged students to speak up for themselves, be proud of where they come from, and fight for what\u2019s right. Similar to the legacy King left behind many years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

The audience seemed to be receptive to Cobb\u2019s message and he ended his speech with a strong message to the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who keep their eyes on the prize, and today this need is more urgent than it has ever been, and perhaps more possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cobb made sure to emphasize the importance of being involved in the community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou 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,\u201d Cobb said. \u201cAs we used to say, \u2018freedom is not free.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jackson State students that were in attendance agree that without the help of King\u2019s vision it would have taken even more time to make a change.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Saulter, a junior physics major from Jackson, Miss., expressed the impact King has on lives today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMLK\u2019s vision has made the world a more equal place,\u201d Saulter said. \u201cIf not an equal one, then it has helped to ensure that all minorities have a voice in today\u2019s society.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamal Harris, a junior biology-pre physical therapy major from Jackson, Miss., also shared the positive impact King has had in his life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe showed me that you do not have to be violent to promote change,\u201d Harris said. \u201cPeace is the only route to take when seeking justice because peaceful determination drives individuals to greater heights.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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