Florida A&M University’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is celebrating the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday with a march to the Capitol.
For some students, attending the march is most important.
Monique Wilkes, 18, a freshman business administration student from Jacksonville, said the NAACP march is important for students to contribute to because it allows students to recognize their ancestors.
“We should participate because we should know where we came from and how we made it in today’s society,” Wilkes said.
“It’s always good to know about your past and how you became the person you have become today because there has been other black people that have made major sacrifices in the past and without them we wouldn’t be who we are today in today’s society,” she said.
NAACP members will host several events to honor King’s birthday.
“On Monday, we are having the annual C.K Steele and Martin Luther King Jr. march ceremony,” said Andrew Collins, NAACP president. “It’s going to start at the C.K. Steele bus plaza, and it’s going to proceed the end of the ceremony to [the] capitol. Then there will be a Martin Luther King rally.”
At 7:30 a.m. at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, the NACCP will sponsor an M.L.K. breakfast, followed by a march Monday morning at 9.
Collins said it is important for students to participate in the celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday because it shows respect to our ancestors.
“I feel like this march basically signifies the blood, sweat and tears of civil (rights) activists,” said Collins, 22, a senior business administration student from Atlanta. “Our participation signifies our respect for the blood, sweat and tears for those who have paved the way for us and our commitment to continuing the cause.”
Armani Kemp, 18, a sophomore business administration student from Long Beach, Calif., agreed with Wilkes.
“It’s important because Martin Luther King is a great individual in black history,” Kemp said. “He has done so much for his race and us as a whole. He spoke about what he felt. He changed the game for African Americans and died for us to make a difference.”
Charles Evans, president of the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP and FAMU business professor, will be the guest speaker at the breakfast.
“I’m going to present a challenge to students, asking them to get to know who they are,” Evans said. “(I want to) present something so they can realize his dream.”