CommUNITY brunch held Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Monday’s CommUNITY Peace Brunch was one of several events this week on campus in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work.

The brunch, hosted by the Multicultural Academic Student Services in the Bovee University Center Rotunda, included keynote speaker and Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Hadden, an oratorical contest and a performance by the Christ Central Choir.

The three finalists in the oratorical contest each gave a speech about how they would abolish poverty, a theme of King’s work.

Flint senior Donnesha Blake said she had a lot of desire to give a speech about the man who fought for equality.

“I heard about the oratorical contest from my McNair scholar director and I knew I wanted to do it based on the subject,” Blake said. “My ideas for the speech came from race and ethnicity courses I’ve taken here at CMU and specifically equality, and that’s what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for.”

For many students in attendance, the day was more than just about having a break from school.

“People can gain knowledge and grow to understand King’s teachings,” said Flint senior Judea Archie-Walker. “He was a good communicator and believed in what he taught. He was a man of his word.”

Mid Michigan Community College junior Kendarius Mann said King and what he stood for is as relevant today as it was when King was alive.

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to attend CMU (in the past) and be in the choir,” Mann said. “I’m a strong believer in diversity and I use my personal life as a testament to what I believe in.”