{"id":13930,"date":"2026-02-09T22:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/?p=13930"},"modified":"2026-02-18T05:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T05:14:07","slug":"daphne-chamberlain-delivers-inspirational-speech-to-jsu-students-during-annual-mlk-birthday-convocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2026\/02\/09\/daphne-chamberlain-delivers-inspirational-speech-to-jsu-students-during-annual-mlk-birthday-convocation\/","title":{"rendered":"Daphne Chamberlain delivers inspirational speech to JSU students during annual MLK Birthday Convocation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor-in-Chief
\n<\/span>Shakell James<\/span><\/p>\n

Civil Rights historian Daphne Chamberlain, Ph.D., delivered an inspirational speech to Jackson State University students, employees, and community supporters during the 58th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Convocation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The event, held Jan. 16, 2026, in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium, continued honoring Dr. King in a celebration begun by famed author Margaret Walker in 1969. According to information on the Margaret Walker Center\u2019s (MWC) website, the author wanted to celebrate his birth and achievements rather than his death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heartfelt singing from the JSU Chorale set the tone for the inspiring words that filled the auditorium, as the significance of King\u2019s leadership and legacy resonated through expressions from community leaders and the JSU administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khalilah Karriem, a senior political science major from Columbus, Miss., and President of the JSU NAACP chapter, presided over the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Martin Luther King reminded us that progress is rooted in service, justice, and community. His words continue to challenge us to stand up for what is right and to use our voices to create positive change. As we gather today, we are reminded that history lives on through our actions and commitment to one another,\u201d Karriem stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Miss JSU Lauren Ballard, Mister JSU Jarek Peterson and SGA President Raegan Johnson, all expressed the importance of the celebration during their greetings at the event.<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Black Anthem, \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing,\u201d was gracefully led by Julia Johnson, a senior music major from Columbia, Miss., followed later by the Civil Rights theme song \u201cWe Shall Overcome,\u201d performed by the chorale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chamberlain, the founding director of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University, used her keynote address to stress the importance of understanding the current political climate. Chamberlain alluded to the story of Rip Van Winkle, who slept through a period of significant change, to urge students to stay \u201cwoke\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet us not be settled when history records these momentous times that we slept while our rights were being taken by those who would keep us in slavery and by those who would say we were doing alright. It\u2019s hard to ignore what is going on in the world right now,\u201d said Chamberlain.<\/span><\/p>\n

She added, \u201cDon\u2019t let it be said that you slept while conflict, wherever it occurs in this world, results in the killing of children, women, and men. Don\u2019t let it be said that you slept while jokes were being made about cancelling elections, despite the history of this country of people dying for the right to vote. Don\u2019t let it be said you slept.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

City of Jackson Mayor John Horne emphasized the importance of standing firm in the pursuit of justice, reiterating that the extraordinary spirit of excellence continues to thrive within Jackson State University and the city of Jackson.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe take small steps each day that move us closer to the world he (MLK) dreamed of. To the students here today, you are the continuation of that dream. You carry forward the hope born on this campus. As you learn, lead, and serve, remember that history does not wait,\u201d said Horne.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jackson State students expressed how they planned to honor King\u2019s legacy in the present times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin Graves, a freshman political science major from Nashville, Tenn., believes participating in community service can honor King\u2019s legacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs an HBCU student, I can honor Dr. King by simply doing any kind of community service at an HBCU since Dr. King graduated from Morehouse College, which is an HBCU out of Atlanta. I think that doing anything at an HBCU or outside an HBCU can honor his life and his legacy,\u201d said Graves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joshua Taylor, a junior music technology major from Jackson, Miss., stated that striving to be the best version of yourself is a powerful way to honor King\u2019s legacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I can embody the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is honestly just being myself, being proactive in my community, [helping] anyone I know in need, and just being a great person overall,\u201d Taylor stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alyssa Forde, a freshman majoring in business administration from Memphis, Tenn., also stated that serving the community creates an impact on a different level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs an HBCU student from the city where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, I plan to stand and live in his legacy by tending and giving back to the community that we both loved and cherished so much. As a female HBCU student, I plan to provide a better world for black females who want to pursue anything in life,\u201d Forde vowed.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor-in-Chief Shakell James Civil Rights historian Daphne Chamberlain, Ph.D., delivered an inspirational speech to Jackson State University students, employees, and community supporters during the 58th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Convocation.\u00a0 The event, held Jan. 16, 2026, in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium, continued honoring Dr. King in a celebration begun by famed author […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13930","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-campus"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13931,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13930\/revisions\/13931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}