Although veracious winds blew through UTM for the majority of the night, the spirit and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was upheld by the occupants of UTM and the surrounding areas as they paid tribute to him at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, in the Watkins Auditorium with a Candlelight Ceremony.

As the service began, silence overcame the audience as they heard King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Chancellor Nick Dunagan said that he lived during the times of segregation. Many times, Dunagan recalls being spellbound by his [King’s] speeches. Dunagan continued by saying, “What Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for was right—it was necessary.”

Lt. Darrell Simmons approached the audience with his tales of living in segregation, which included drinking from “colored water fountains” among many. Simmons continued by saying that we do not need to be a nation of tolerance. He said that we needed to continue to move forward and unify. One way to accomplish this would be to stop “the most segregated hour” in our country, which is the hour many Americans attend church.

Dean Emerson of Interfaith said, “It’s difficult for UTM students to appreciate the environment Dunagan and Simmons talked about.” He said this because UTM students, as well as himself, did not experience this era first hand.

“It was a legacy of hope and courage,” Emerson said as he explained the importance of King’s goals.

UTM students Rosalyn Lake and Anthony Prewitt then contributed in their own way to the Candlelight Ceremony.

Lake sang a beautiful piece entitled, “Every Time I Feel Da Spirit.” After sharing with the audience the history of the first African American fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, Prewitt read a poem he wrote entitled, “I Too Can Dream”.

As Reverend Morrow encouraged the audience to continue to work together to help make a difference and not let King’s dream fade away, the ceremony ended with the audience standing proud with their candles lit in memory of one of our country’s greatest civil rights leaders.

“He [King] deserves to be remembered,” said Martin Mayor Randy Brundige. “He was a great man of his time.”