Students honor King in annual vigil

Speeches, march make up event Braving the bitter cold on the eve of Martin Luther King Day last night, about 45 students gathered in a commemorative candlelight vigil at the W.E.B. DuBois College House. The vigil, sponsored by by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, of which King was a member, is an annual event honoring the civil rights leader's birthday. Many students at the vigil said they would not let the cold, or the University's not officially recognizing the holiday, spoil their celebration. "Even though the University does not officially recognize the holiday," said College sophomore Jorge Leon,"it should not let us hamper our celebration." College senior and Black Student League President Kaplan Mobray said he feels the University should recognize King's birthday. "Penn will always lag behind, as long as they don't recognize the symbolic strength of Dr. Martin Luther King," Mobray said. The vigil consisted of a march from the Dubois House to the Christian Association through Superblock and along Locust Walk. The marchers sang the "old Negro Spiritual" song – "We Shall Overcome" and carried lighted candles on the journey. Approximately 35 people started in the procession from the dormitory, but numerous onlookers later joined in the vigil. The group then proceeded inside the Christian Association to hear The Inspiration, a singing group, perform "The Black National Anthem" and speakers Engineer senior Malaney Hill and Mobray. They had been originally set to speak on the College Green, but the event was moved indoors because of the weather. Hill described King's birthday as "a pulse check to see if Dr. King's dream has been lived up to" and the vigil as a "symbolic gesture of appreciation." He called on the somber audience "to get [the African-American] house in order" to eventually help other people in their rise to power. Similarly, Mobray said that "the time is now" for the black community to advance the race as King had once urged. "It is important for us to put aside hostilities and come together as a family," Mobray said. The BSL President also spoke out against the attempts to randomize freshman housing. He said King, who had studied at the University, would have wanted the DuBois house to exist as a family for black students. According to Hill, the vigil had between 80 and 100 marchers last year. He attributed the lower turnout to the cold. For those who had braved the arctic temperatures, they said the experience was far less than what King had to endure.