The smell of barbecue and brownies filled the air as students chattered and scurried to find a seat in the lecture hall. Small cups of lemonade were scattered on a table, and the stage was set with musical instruments like an electric keyboard and a drum set.

Above the stage were two projectors with images of Martin Luther King Jr., and the text "It Starts With Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate Through The Study And Practice of Kingian Nonviolence." As the voices died down and the performances started, students were asked to evaluate their own beliefs and what they're doing for society, because "It starts with you."

Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) hosted '"It Starts with Me: A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Showcase" Jan. 18. The event was free and open to both Central Michigan University students and the Mount Pleasant community.

The performing arts showcase was put together by a student committee for Martin Luther King Jr. Week, including hosts Ku'Juana Quinn and Elijah Lewis.

"I can promise you that you will not regret being a force of change."
- Mount Pleasant Mayor Amy Perschbacher

"We were thinking of ways to showcase student talent and voices during MLK week," Quinn said. "So we organized this event with the MASS office."

"It was all about providing that space to showcase that talent while also shining a light on the legacy of Martin Luther King," Lewis said. "And I think we did that."

The event ran for about an hour and a half. Speeches and poems were read by students, alumni and faculty. Some of these poems were pulled from the source material, such as "On the Pulse of Morning," by Maya Angelou and "Check One, Check Other" from the television show "Ginny & Georgia." These poems held themes of connection to everyone, as we are all human, as well feeling alone or being held to higher standards for being a minority.

Others performed their own original pieces, such as "An Ode to my Thighs" and "A Native's Pen" by senior Ashley Adams and an untitled song by alumni and Academic Advisor Marceil (Mars) Davis.

"It's a war going on in my city, it's a disaster. I'm caught between the government and rebel factions," Davis read aloud. "Can you imagine your home becoming a casket? From the bombing to the blasting and turning you time into ashes?"

Davis shared that he was inspired to write that song, delivered at the event in spoken poetry, by seeing images on Facebook about the war in Syria in 2011.

"I'm seeing crushed buildings and children displaced," he said. "And you know, I'm a parent, I'm thinking like a parent, that in that situation you can't even help your child. I was in despair, so I wrote this from that despair."

The poems were followed by music and dance performances by the Central Michigan University Jazz Band and Ballet Folklorico de la Luz. The event ended with a speech from Mount Pleasant Mayor Amy Perschbacher, who addressed Kingian Nonviolence and what being courageous means to her.

"Courage is a choice," Perschbacher said to the audience. "It's a willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty and intimidation.

"Notice I did not say it is without fear. To be courageous is to be full of fear."

She said students should practice being courageous and stand up for what they believe in here at Central, just as she does for the Mount Pleasant community.

"As it says up there, it starts with me, and that is a scary, scary thought," she said. "I advocate for not only my clients and employees, but for the residents of this city, and I am scared silly 99% of the time. But if it wasn't (scary), it wouldn't be worth doing.

"I believe in the dream Dr. King spoke of," Perschbacher continued. "And I know that dream will not be fulfilled if I do not stand up and use my voice and position to push into the light, and I encourage all of you to use your voice to push the dream forward.

"I can promise you that you will not regret being a force of change."