MLK speaker urges audience to take action

Civil rights leader Judy Richardson told Grand Valley students their activism doesn't need to begin with a national movement.

Richardson was the keynote speaker on January 17 as the university continued its week-long commemoration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Following a silent march around campus, hundreds of students, faculty and staff members listened to Richardson in the Kirkhof Center.

The filmmaker was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. After showing a segment of her documentary, "Scarred Justice," Richardson said it's important to recall and retell the events of the civil rights movement. Scarred Justice details the 1968 Orangeburg, South Carolina, massacre of three students following a protest.

"People tend not to remember history but it's important to shine a light on even the ugly events so as not to repeat them," she said.

One student asked Richardson how to positively impact change when surrounded by apathetic people who have busy schedules. She said many of the early SNCC meetings consisted of only a handful of people. "Don't assume you need a national movement from the jump," she said and urged student leaders to be passionate about their causes. "If you do nothing, nothing changes."

Other MLK events follow; full details are online at www.gvsu.edu/mlk.

• January 19: Program, 5 p.m., Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center: Michael Eric Dyson, professor at Georgetown University, author and radio show host will discuss "What's Next? Martin Luther King Jr. in the 21st Century." Dyson is well-known for his commentary on popular culture and African American society. The Kirkhof Center and Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, will be used as overflow rooms.

• January 20: Lecture, 4 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2263: "Fighting the Peace at Home," by Steven Rosales, GVSU assistant professor of history.

• January 21: Program, 4 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2204: Student Senate will host "The Art of Reflection: Listen, Watch, Dance."

• January 24: Lecture, 6 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2204: "Do Universal Scholarship Programs Reduce Inequality?" by Michelle Miller-Adams, GVSU assistant professor of political science.