Around 30 people attended a candlelight vigil for Martin Luther King Jr. last Monday in the Center for Student Involvement. The event was the first of eight events for Emporia State’s MLK week which ends tomorrow. 

“I would like to personally thank everyone for coming out to our candlelight vigil for our kickoff for MLK week,” said Deanna Williams, director of diversity programs. “I am just so excited for this MLK week. I think there are some dynamic opportunities for us to really dig deep to actually learn about the history and the legacy of who Dr. Martin Luther King was and for us to not just quote his quotes, but for us to figure out why he decided to protest and why he stood for what he stood for.” 

Ralvell Rogers II, senior English major, wrote a poem entitled “Journey to the Mountaintop” for the event. 

“Look around and tell me who you’ve seen,” Rogers said. “I see white, black and everything in between. My reflection is pivotal when thinking on Dr. Martin Luther King. The black man who was blacked out while teaching love and harmony.”

The vigil included listening to a few pieces of MLK’s most famous speeches and a moment of silence. 

“For me, this vigil is very significant,” Williams said. “We don’t want to forget about MLK this week. We want to continue his legacy. We want to continue to stand up for injustices, to continue to stand up for equality. That’s something I encourage my students to do every single day.”

The event was followed up by a showing of the 2014 movie “Selma.” 

“When he said ‘I had a dream,’ you, us, we became his reality,” said Kristian Gilmore, sophomore communication major. “You see, the thing about dreams is that they don’t die. Instead they live on forever. Martin Luther King is forever. His will to right the wrongs is forever.”

Kevin Powell, a political activist, will speak as the last MLK event at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the Memorial Union Skyline.