MLK's mission revisited

Sarah McGlinchey / Copy Editor

Former lieutenant governor of Colorado Joe Rogers delivered Elon's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Speaking before Elon students, faculty and community members, Rogers invited the audience to "travel back in time."
In addition to his reenactment of a large portion of King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech, Rogers also reenacted part of King's final speech, held in Memphis, TN in 1968. Rogers spoke of Rosa Parks, the tragic fire in the 16th St. Church in Birmingham, AL, King's assassination, and King's impact on his himself and his family,

"The world of segregation is a world in which, literally, we are separate," said Rogers.
At the conclusion of his speech, Rogers asked audience members, "Is the dream alive?" A slideshow in remembrance of Parks was shown as the final piece of the program.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Program is an annual event at Elon, co-sponsored by The Office of Multicultural Affairs, Black Cultural Society and Student Government Association, as well as the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Interfraternity Council and Pan-Hellenic Council.

The program was a "celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.," said L'Tanya B. Richmond, director of the office of multicultural affairs.

"This is a great cultural event for the Elon community to attend because it brings people together under one moral ideal: equality," said Nuri Abdur-Rauf, president of BCS. "It's a way to commemorate the life of the great Martin Luther King, Jr."

"I think students, faculty and the community can benefit from this program because it celebrates the history of a man that defied a nation," said Michael Bumbry, SGA Executive President. "He made great steps toward freedom, something African Americans and other minorities are now able to appreciate."

Junior Damon Ogburn, who introduced Rogers, spoke of him as a "dynamic and energetic speaker."

Prior to Rogers' speech, junior Alice Turner performed Ethel Waters' song, "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

Rogers, who served as Colorado's youngest lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2003, is a Colorado native. He is an attorney in Colorado with a law degree from Arizona State University. Prior to serving as lieutenant governor, Rogers served as staff counsel for U.S. Senator Hank Brown, advising on a multitude of issues including business, transportation and housing.

Contact Sarah McGlinchey at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.