Annual commUNITY march to make stops on campus
This year, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CommUNITY March is trying something new - pick up stations.
"What traditionally happened was, we all met here at the (University Center), but now we have devised a trail to pick up people from the residents halls," Duncan said.
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Week, Minority Student Services will host a march through campus beginning at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Multicultural Education Center.
Duncan believes the residence hall stops will draw more attention to the march.
Lester Booker Jr., a Canton graduate assistant at MSS, said the name of the march, "CommUNITY" is a play on words.
"We did that to show unity between campus and the community," he said. "This is not just for students, but for the entirety of Mount Pleasant."
Booker has been the main events coordinator for MSS, putting together the content honoring King next week.
The march is an annual event that, with the exception of the keynote speaker, usually brings the largest attendance, he said.
"It's been fun putting all of the events together," said Shira Duncan, a Mount Pleasant graduate assistant for MSS who works with Academic Career Empowerment (ACE), and is another planner of MLK week festivities.
"It makes us more visible to the campus," Duncan said, "Hopefully, people remember seeing the march and wonder, 'What was that about?'"
Students are already looking forward to the march and weeks events. Ben Lambright, an Edmore junior, said Tuesday's inauguration will also have an effect on the tone of the march.
"It'd be interesting to see if the emotional tone of the marchers changes now that we have an African-American president," he said.
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