Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Reclaiming the dream

At 9:55 a.m. Monday, about 10 students stood in an orderly line outside Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, sipping coffee and reading. Ten minutes later, more than 50 people were huddled around the two revolving doors, and that number had nearly tripled by 10:30 a.m., when employees opened the doors to Northwestern’s second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

The program, which included musical performances and a keynote address by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, drew more than 1,400 students, faculty, staff and community members to Pick-Staiger and satellite locations around campus. The two-and-a-half hour celebration capped off a week of events honoring the civil rights leader.

In the program’s keynote address, Jackson, the founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and a friend of King’s, delivered a vivid call to action filled with elaborate metaphors and political commentary.

“There’s been such a prostituting of the dream,” said Jackson, who encouraged the audience to reclaim King’s dream and create “one big tent” of inclusion. “It’s like soft drink without carbonation – it’s lost its stuff. The King dream applied to everybody. While we focus a lot on black and white, the fundamental ethical issues here are not so much black and white as they are wrong and right.”

Jackson spent much of his speech criticizing President-elect George W. Bush and the outcome of the presidential election. Calling Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft a “voter suppressor” and Inauguration Day “Coronation Day,” he told the audience to continue challenging the status quo.

“You can afford to lose an election, but not your franchise,” said Jackson, who will be leading a march on federal buildings in Tallahassee, Fla., to protest at what he called “the scene of the crime.”

His appearance prompted many students to line up early in front of Pick-Staiger. Weinberg Junior Adam Kirschner skipped his 10 a.m. class to make sure he would have a seat.

“I wanted to see Jesse Jackson because I wasn’t able to see him when he came (Fall Quarter),” Kirschner said. “But I think it’s poor to have only a half day off.”

Medill freshman Steve Krupin watched Jackson’s speech via the live Web cast, waking up at 11:15 a.m. and watching the streaming video in his sleepwear.

“I had to take notes for class, and it was more comfortable to take notes in front of my computer than sitting in a big auditorium,” Krupin said. Alex Rosenfeld watched the program from the Louis Room at Norris University Center and said he appreciated Jackson’s politically charged remarks.

“I agree with his overall vision,” said Rosenfeld, a Music sophomore. “It’s amazing to see what he can do to an audience when he speaks. Even if you don’t agree with everything, it’s easy to see what he’s getting at.”

Dreamers often die young because they threaten the status quo, said Jackson, who reminded the audience that King’s work was cut short by his assassination.

“There’s too much focus on January 15 and not enough on April 4,” Jackson said. “He did not give his life. It was taken. Dreamers who die young challenge objective reality because they’re transformers.”

Jackson also emphasized the importance of voting, inviting those not yet registered to do so onstage.

Kate Mulligan was the first to stand up – and the only one to do so for several minutes until Jackson got more students to come forward. In the end, about 11 students filled out their registration forms onstage, using a grand piano as a table.

“It was the best possible way to register to vote,” said Mulligan, a Speech freshman.

The impromptu voter registration was one way students could put King’s vision into action, as the celebration did more than remind NU of King’s legacy, Speech junior Emilia Carlson said.

“When people gather together to celebrate this great leader, they can also use the forum to motivate people to do things in the future, and not just be satisfied with Dr. King’s achievement,” she said.

Jackson was preceded by performances by the Northwestern University Community Ensemble, who sang three spirituals, including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

The program also featured NU alumna Cynthia HayMonday, who sang an operatic arrangement of spirituals, and Speech Prof. Rives Collins, who told a parable about freedom involving a magical bird.

Earlier in the week, campus groups sponsored other events honoring King, including guest speakers, a candlelight vigil and exhibit at the Multicultural Center.

Jazmin Portis, a member of the MLK Day Committee who introduced Collins, said she felt all of the programs’ components came together.

“The students really seemed to enjoy it, and so did the rest of the NU community and the Evanston community,” said Portis, a Weinberg junior. “Everything went really well.”

Weinberg junior Sameer Gafoor, academic vice president of Associated Student Government and a member of the planning committee, said Jackson’s political views are an important link to King’s legacy.

“We realized he’s a political person,” Gafoor said. “But one point that (Jackson) made is that King is also a political person. You can’t shy away from politics just because it’s controversial.”

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Reclaiming the dream