King Day events held across Penn

Martin Luther King was honored with speeches, song and words of hope. As part of the six-week celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and messages -- entitled "Keeping the Dream Alive" -- Martin Luther King Day was commemorated yesterday in a series of events sponsored by various groups on campus. Yesterday morning's Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at DuBois College House, sponsored by UMOJA -- the umbrella organization for Penn's 26 black undergraduate organizations -- the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association and the United Minorities Council was "dedicated to the memory and contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," said BGAPSA President Nsenga Burton, a second-year graduate student in the Annenberg School for Communication. The program included a re-enactment of King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech by 16-year-old Khalil Munier, a student at the Freedom Theater in Philadelphia; a singing performance by local opera singer Stuart Jasper, also an administrative assistant in Annenberg; and the keynote address by Social Work Professor Walter Palmer. In his speech, Palmer said that today, King is "seldom measured? by his character." "We have been led to believe that he really was just a man of peace," Palmer added. "But no man of peace comes without there being? a war." Yesterday evening also marked the celebration of the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Evening Program, which featured the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Involvement Recognition Award. University President Judith Rodin presented the award to Hillel Director Jeremy Brochin for his work in connecting Penn with the broader city and community. Other events last night included a musical performance by College senior John Stephens, director of the a capella group Counterparts, and a speech by Philadelphia City Council member Angel Ortiz. In his address, Ortiz said there are still problems in our society and that "until we really begin to look at [them]? we will not be able to deal with [them]." The "revolution still needs to happen," Ortiz added, stressing that society still needs to work toward King's dream for racism to be completely eliminated. Rodin spoke at both the morning breakfast and Ortiz's address, and her messages highlighted how King's dream can be applied in today's society. "[King] reminds us that we are capable of great things, too," Rodin said. "The movement was the people who really had the courage to follow their conscience and to become the conscience of the nation," she added. Despite yesterday's inclement weather, Executive Chairperson of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee Afi Roberson -- a staff member at the African-American Resource Center -- said she was encouraged by the turnout at the various events. But she added that she expected more undergraduate students to attend. Other events yesterday included a noontime commemorative program, sponsored by the African-American Association of Administrators, Faculty and Staff, and a symposium on keeping King's dream alive at Penn and in the community, sponsored by UMOJA, the UMC and BGAPSA.