Wondering what people do for Martin Luther King day? Perhaps you had the day off from work and school and didn’t know what to do with your time: here is some information on what our own FIU campuses do to honor this day. This year marked the twenty-seventh anniversary of the annual Martin Luther King celebration hosted by Florida International University. Every year there is a commemorative breakfast with a keynote speaker who will speak on their experiences and what they stand for. This year Valarie Kaur was gracious enough to come and speak on her work as a social justice activist who is in charge of campaigns all over the world for civil and human rights. Kaur is a one of a kind leader who has dealt with more in her childhood than most people will see in their lifetimes. She was born and raised in Central Valley, California where her family has lived for years as Sikh farmers. Sikhism is a religion founded in Northern India in the fifteenth century and is distinct from Islam and Hinduism. It stresses the equality of men and women and they commit themselves to servicing others, meditating and earning an honest living for themselves and their families. After 9/11 when a Sikh family friend was murdered in a hate crime, Kaur began her journey to make a change in the politic world when it comes to immigration dentition, hate crimes and racial profiling. Kaur has been the leading force behind many movements and has been the founder of many communities and projects that call for proper social actions.
There was also a MLK exhibit at the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum where the Birmingham Project by Dawoud Bey was featured. The students of FIU participated in this day of celebration as well by attending a day of service at the Biscayne Bay Campus where more than 200 people came to help with restoring the bay, school beautification and planting mangroves. And of course, no holiday is complete without a parade! Lead by President Mark Rosenberg, the faculty, staff and the students of FIU attended the Liberty City parade along Northwest 54th street.
As you can see there are many ways to celebrate this day or get involved and make a difference. Martin Luther King made such an impact on the world as we know it and it’s the perfect time for us to do the same. If you missed the days festivities and want to get involved at FIU, the Office of Muticultural Programs is always available to help you find a path. Our own Black Student Union Council holds a commemorative dinner in MLK’s honor so don’t be afraid- you can always make a difference.
This year was also an enlightening one because of the politic world we live in. Recently, some remarks from the President of the United States surfaced where he commented on the immigrants from Haiti and El Salvador using some racial language that many took offense to. Trump questioned why the US should accept more immigrants from Haiti and other “shithole countries” in Africa. Since the release of this quote Trump has said that he didn’t use this form of language, but this didn’t stop our own FIU president from commenting on the situation. Rosenberg said he was disgusted by POTUS’ remarks about calling immigrants a “low point” for the country. Since Florida International University has a very diverse population, many of our neighbors are people from these countries which makes it all the more real for us in South Florida. Thankfully we still have people like Mark Rosenberg, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen that stand up and say their opinions, especially when it is up against someone as powerful as the President of the United States.