My King Day Celebration

Last week marked the first week of classes for the Spring 2008 semester at the university where I am adjunct professor of English.

As I have done every year that I have taught, I devoted the first class of the semester to Dr. Martin Luther King.

This, of course, breaks from the norm of most professors because the first class is a chance to introduce yourself to the students. Then, they introduce the course to the students. And finally, the students introduce themselves to the professor. If the professor is ambitious, he or she will then do a short lecture to get the class rolling. (This is especially important for instructors of Monday classes where three classes are lost due to the MLK holiday, President's Day, and Spring Break.)

I also use the first class to MLK as a measuring stick of the student's mindset. There are students who just want to take the class because it is a requirement. Any deviation from the norm will cause havoc in their minds. (This was exemplified last year when I discussed King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech to my Writing for Business class. Was it pure coincidence that three students dropped the next day?!)

This year, my students and I held a healthy discussion on the purpose of education. Using King's "The Purpose of Education" editorial as the backdrop, my English Composition I students and I looked into King's theory that college eduction is more than producing students who are equipped with knowledge to go into their respective fields. Instead, it was about producing students who were equipped with morals to fight the injustices around them.

There was great dialogue back and forth. The students were quick to cite their own experiences and to show why they believe in Dr. King's words but how they would not appeal to students at this urban university.

But the surprising thing was that if it wasn't for my discussion, most of these students stated that they would have not considered Dr. King's birthday observance for nothing more than a day off. I even had one student question to me as to what I was going to do to observe King's memory. To show that I was a man of my word, I rattled off a litany of programs taking place in the New York area. Fortunately, I was able to attend two.

Yesterday, I was blessed by a wonderful sermon concerning Dr. King at the St. Thomas Liberal Catholic Church. The Reverend Terrance Wilbur delivered a sermon that could have been taken from my lecture last year. He discussed King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech and its relationship to our current occupation in Iraq. (My words, not his.) The sermon was delivered with conviction that stirred the population of mostly Caribbean immigrants. But Rev. Wilbur's words must be heeded because it shows that Dr. King was more than an opponent of segregation of Blacks in the Jim Crow South. Dr. King was an opponent of oppression anywhere which includes "The Poor People's Campaign" and of course, Dr. King's anti-Vietnam stance. It was certainly an experience and one that I was not expecting when I entered the doors that morning.

In a different vein, I spent my Saturday evening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's BAM Cafe. As always, the BAM Cafe put on a fine performance sponsored by the Black Rock Coalition. As a tribute to Dr. King's legacy, the Black Rock Coalition Orchestra performed various songs of protest from the 1960s - today. There were a collection of four artists who took turns singing songs which included "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)" by Marvin Gaye, "The Middle of the Road" by The Pretenders, "Police and Thieves" by The Clash (though original, and still popular version, performed by Junior Murvin), and The Stylistics' "People Make The World Go Round". In typical BRC Orchestra tradition, the songs were made contemporary in that there was a soulful rock edge to each song with elements of ska/reggae added to the mix. To make sure the audience remembered the occasion of the performances, Dr. King's words were interspersed between the songs. It was truly a memorable experience.

As the January sun sets on another King holiday, I can honestly say that I do my best to keep the spirit of his life alive in daily conversations, challenges to what I may deem to be injustice, and in living life as a 34 year-old Black man in an nation that is quick to discuss the "racial politics" of Black voters overwhelmingly support Barack Obama or "gender politics" of women who are supporting Hillary Clinton but seem loathe to acknowledge that in nearly 331 years, few have questioned the role of White men in maintaining (nay, securing) our nation's highest office.

A simple lecture, a church sermon, and a concert may not seem like much, but then I ask you, "How did you keep King's memory alive today?"

My contributions this weekend were mundane but compared to others of my generation, but it was certainly worthwhile.