Students and community members were asked to examine the "legacy beyond the clich s" yesterday evening at the University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commemoration.
First-year College student Wyatt Robinson introduced the annual event with these words to a packed Newcomb Hall ballroom. Headlined by civil rights activist Diane Nash, the program also included a variety of student groups.
"Some students do and some don't" understand the Civil Rights movement, said Karen Holt, director of the office of equal opportunity. "Others just know what they picked up in [high] school and that's very superficial."
Holt said Nash was selected as the program's keynote speaker partially because she became involved in civil rights in college.
"When she was [students'] age, going to college, she was also engaged in what at the time was a revolutionary social movement," said Julian Bond, a history professor and National NAACP Chairman. "We were all crazy about her."
Nash received a standing ovation for her speech, titled "Charismatic Leadership Has Not Freed African Americans and it Never Will."
"Charismatic leadership is a symptom of social illness," Nash said. "It centers the leadership primarily on the part of the person, while functional leadership centers the leadership primarily on the work."
Nash went on to say that the "best protection for a person in leadership is a strong movement, and not followers."
She was quick to add that blacks are not the only group besieged by charismatic leadership.
"In relation to the war on terror, how often do we hear people say, 'I support my president?'" Nash said. "What if the president is wrong?"
Bond said Nash is best characterized by her role as a "primary articulator of using non-violence to achieve social change."
"For most, non-violence was a tactic, but for Diane it was a way of life," he said.
Other participants in the celebration included the University's Blacks United Celebrating Knowledge and Success, South Asian Leadership Society, Mahogany Dance Troupe, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Albemarle High School's Males on a Mission.
At the end of her speech, Nash said she and her contemporaries had today's students in mind in the 60s.
"We loved you even then and wanted to bring about the best society that we could for you," she said. "Future generations will depend on you."
Alpha Phi Alpha President Darren Kelly, who participated in a verbal tribute to King with fellow fraternity brothers, said he was greatly impacted by Nash's words.
"She spoke to the masses when she was talking," Kelly said. "It was a pleasure to be in her presence."
Read More
Students have federal internship offers rescinded due to hiring freeze
By Nina Broderick | 2 days agoUntil July 15, no presently vacant federal civilian positions may be filled, and no new positions may be created.
Man dies from self-inflicted gunshot wounds at the Rotunda
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoThe investigation is ongoing, and additional details are not available at this time.
Virginia primary elections feature contested race for Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate
By Nicolas Biernacki | 2 days agoEligible voters can find more information about early voting by consulting the City Department of Voter Registration & Elections website or the County Department of Elections website.
