CMU celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with community peace brunch
Christ Central Choir performs a song at the MLK CommUNITY Peace Brunch Monday, Jan. 16 in Finch Fieldhouse.
Central Michigan University’s Multicultural Academic Student Services Office (MASS) began Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Week with the annual MLK CommUNITY Peace Brunch.
The MLK Brunch took place from 9:30 a.m. until noon in Finch Fieldhouse. Attendees, including professors, department chairs, students and more, were greeted formally by Eric Pouncil and Janay Johnson, two graduate assistants from MASS.
“It is great to see our community come together on a day that you would typically have off,” Pouncil said. “And being able to celebrate and honor Dr. King makes a huge impact on me.”
Pouncil introduced CMU’s 15th President Robert O. Davies to come to the stage. During his speech, Davies said that it requires work, action and leadership to create a better community.
“In Dr. King’s sermon of the drum major instinct, Dr. Kings says everybody can be great because everybody can lead,” Davies said. “When we allow our drum major instincts to be about ourselves and our own successes, it leads us down a path that isolates and divides, rather than one that unites.
“When I was an undergraduate student, one of the books that we had read in one of my classes was all Martin Luther King speeches. And at the end of the semester, when everyone turned their books back in, I kept that one," Davies continued. “Every year I read different speeches from it as a part of keeping myself in line and in tune. The drum major instinct is one of my more favorite speeches and its up there with the 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ for example.”
After Davies' speech, a free breakfast was served to all attendees.
The room is packed full of students, alumni, faculty, and others at the MLK CommUNITY Peace Brunch Monday, Jan. 16 in Finch Fieldhouse.
CMU partnered up with PNC Bank to give students who go above and beyond to make the university a better place, with a commitment to expanding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to further education, said a representative of the MASS office.
Recipients of the PNC Bank High Achievers Award are as follows:
- Alyssa Corral, Senior, majoring in Child Development and minoring in Psychology
- Eduardo Dominguez, Junior, majoring in Environmental Engineering and with a minor in Cultural & Global Studies
- Jacob Kapusansky, Junior, majoring in Marketing with a concentration in Professional Sales
- Sophia Scarnecchia, Junior, majoring in Heath and Physical Education
Scarnecchia said she applied last year, and she did not get it. However, that didn’t discourage her to apply for the same award this year.
“I wanted to re-apply because I (have) done a lot more on campus (this year) and I just love helping people and I wanted my work to be recognized as well,” she said.
The CMU Christ Central Choir performed at the MLK Peace Brunch. After performing, CMU Choir Director Ziere Sasnett said it was really exciting.
“Gospel music is a part of the Black culture, and I will say it again, 'Gospel music is a part of the Black culture,'" Sasnett said.
“The first song we sung was about making it through what we go through on Earth and the second song was more about meeting each other again in heaven.”
Mikaila Hancock, the secretary of the CMU Christ Central Choir said that every year “the jitters are definitely there,” but in the end, they are always excited to come out and sing for everyone because it is for a great cause.
Finalists of the Oratorical Scholarship presented their speeches. The purpose of the Oratorical Scholarship is to reflect on the wise words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on those messages while simultaneously applying them to the societal issues that we face today, the contest brochure said. The award winners received a $1,000 scholarship.
Recipients of the PNC Bank High Achievers Award applaud during the MLK CommUNITY Peace Brunch Monday, Jan. 16 in Finch Fieldhouse.
Recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest Award are as follows:
- Jacob Kapusansky, Junior, majoring in Marketing with a concentration in Professional Sales
- Aniya Lewis, Senior, majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Youth Studies and a Family Studies minor
- Tyler Thompson, Senior, majoring in Economics and Music
Lewis said she first heard about the Oratorical Contest on the MASS scholar’s Instagram page.
“I am a MAC scholar and so far, I came to the brunch every year and I saw the speakers get up,” Lewis said. “This year I decided to apply and after I submitted my application on Central Engage, about a week later I received an email stating that I had won.”
Dr. Reneé Watson, the vice president of Student Affairs, was the keynote speaker for the brunch ceremony. CMU student Marcus Albernathy II sang hymns to go along with her speech. This was Watson’s first time performing at one of CMU’s MLK events.
Vice President of Student Affairs Renee Watson delivers her keynote speech accompanied by hymns sung by Marcus Abernathy II at the MLK CommUNITY Peace Brunch Monday, Jan. 16 in Finch Fieldhouse.
“Leading up to my speech, I was nervous the whole time, but practice definitely helps,” Watson said. “I really wanted Marcus to be a part of it because I thought it would be a great way to really crystalize my message that the hope rests in students. His singing is just wonderful, and he chose the songs, and it was our plan to have the songs weave into my speech.”
Stan Shingles, assistant vice president of Student Affairs said that Watson did a phenomenal job as a keynote speaker.
“She was able to tie in the content of her speech with the lifting spirit from the various songs ... from the past,” he said. “That was brilliant.”
Alfred Harper, the Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Education and the organizer for MLK week said he enjoys creating a "beloved community mindset to transform unjust systems to see exactly how we can come together to continue the level of equity."
Upcoming MLK events
At the end of the MLK commUNITY Peace brunch, Harper announced upcoming MLK events for the remainder of the week:
· At 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 17, Feminista Jones will be a keynote speaker in the Education and Human Services Building located in the French Auditorium.
· At 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, Ira Knight presents: “From Myth to Man” in the Bush Theatre. The play will reenact sequential events in Dr. King’s life leading up to his assassination.
· At 6 p.m. on Jan. 20, the MLK Charity Basketball Game will take place in the Student Activity Center. Attendees are encouraged by the Student Food Pantry to donate canned and boxed food or monetary donations.
Central Michigan Life Reporter Masha Smahliuk contributed to this article.
