To Kirt Wilson, an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is becoming invisible.

‘Being invisible happens when people think they know exactly who and what you are, and they never met you,’ said Wilson, keynote speaker for Syracuse University’s 26th annual Martin Luther King dinner held Sunday in the Carrier Dome. 

The event began with a dinner and continued with dance performances and singing before the speech from Wilson. Students, faculty and community members commemorated the legacy and death of King. Almost all of the 2,180 tickets to the dinner were sold, according to a Jan. 19 article in The Daily Orange.

Wilson spoke about the importance of King’s legacy and said that King was not only a civil rights activist but also a human rights activist. Wilson said he believes celebrating — rather than commemorating — King’s legacy can make King more invisible. It appears the celebration has become more of a holiday and less of a remembrance of what King truly stands for, Wilson said.

Before the speech, the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble, directed by Byron Canada, performed a song called ‘It is Well.’ The ensemble was followed by a dance performance by the Creative Arts Academy, as well as a song performed by SU’s MLK Community Choir.

The 2011 Unsung Hero Awards were given to four recipients: Omolara Funmilola Akinpelu of Project EMERGE; Eileen Baldassarre, coordinator of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program; Kwame Adusei, a doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center’s Maternal Child Health Center; and Sacchi Patel, a graduate assistant at SU for his work in the university’s Rape Advocacy, Prevention and Education Center.

Maria Peña, a senior international relations major who helped hand out awards, said she attended the event because she believes it is very important to remind students of King’s work.

‘This event to me is crucial in reminding us of all the work our people have done, as well as the even greater amount of work left to do.’ Peña said.

James Osei-Sarpong, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he believed the event was very well organized and that it helped him understand and appreciate King more than before.

King is the reason Mouhamed Sourang, a freshman in the School of Information Studies, said he dedicates himself to the community.

‘If it wasn’t for the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,’ he said, ‘I would not be here at Syracuse University pursuing my dream with hopes of one day helping my native people in Senegal.’

mgcanale@syr.edu

Published on January 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm