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Show Feature Change the name; Wildcats passio remember the man for civic change WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19,2011 Utah was the last state to adopt the name "Martin Luther King Jr. Day" By Collette Methot features correspondent 1 The Signpost "I have a dream" were the words that rang through the nation's capitol in 1963 as Martin Luther King Jr. rallied for racial equality and an end to discrimination. Students and faculty at Weber State University had this past Monday day off to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday did not always bear the name it does today. In Utah it was celebrated as "Human Rights Day" until the year 2000, when Utah became the last state to change its name. Several other states had their own name for the holiday, such as "Civil Rights Day" and "Lee-Jackson-King Day." Utah hesitated in changing the name for a few reasons, according to WSU history professor Gene Sessions. "Utah is a very conservative state," Sessions said. "When the movement emerged to /•r create a holiday in honor of Dr. King, Utah, like many other conservative states, played - I think foolishly - with trying to distance the holiday from Dr. King, who was controversial among conservatives, hot only for his determined actions on behalf of civil rights but - Scott Spainhower also for his strong opposition to the Vietnam War." y .;;' Other conservative ;V ** - ~ states behaved similarly to Utah and hesitated to change the name. In 2000, it finally came to a point where all of the states did switch over. Kirsten Anderson, a junior studying political science at WSU, said the name change made sense to her. "It puts a face on it more ... it is easier to understand it because it is more humanized," Anderson said. The holiday represents not only an honorable man, but also an ideal: equality. "Because Dr. King symbolizes our nation's struggle to live up to its founding principle that 'all men are created equal,1 I believe that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is, in effect, Civil Rights Day," said WSU history professor Vikki Vickers. "You cannot celebrate Dr. King's personal accomplishments and legacy without discussing the Civil Rights Movement and his dream of a United States that acknowledged the full equality of all of its citizens." The day is a celebration of the rights and freedoms gained through the civil rights movement. "It's a celebration of his life and what he did," said Scott Spainhower, a freshman at WSU. "It's about black freedom, freedom of what they want to do, getting their ideas out and trying to get rid of the segregation of whites and blacks." It's a of his life and what he did/' / i • < ' \ ' ••' WSU studepts promoting civil advocacy By Mary-tfate Metzger / features correspondent I The Signpost Today's 'college generation' has been accused of being apathetic, selfish i*, and irrespon-i sible. Lon-l aid Wishom •, . is looking to. change that. A\ political science\ major and for-, mer WSU athlete,'* Wishom is Weber \ State University's \ African -American , senator. He is also in- \ . volved with civil rights \ ,.--"'"' organizations, including the National Association1 for the Advancement of Col-", ' ored People, and is an active \ member of the Black Scholars \ United group on campus. When the African-American stu-'\ dent senator position became vacant . right before the fall semester, Wishom said X. , he felt the need to step in and take action de- X v spite his hectic schedule. Looking back, he said .. he felt that "somebody really needs to do this, and it needs to be somebody that is passionate about it and isn't trying to just get school paid for." Wishom said he committed himself to trying to change the lack of involvement between the student senators and the student body. "I want to get involved and I want to do something different; I want to make sure that I actually am involved with these groups." Wishom is now involved with groups engaged in the community as well as on campus. Black Scholars United hosted the Black and Purple Affair in the Shepherd Union Building this past Saturday, a dance that .welcomed WSU students as well as nonstudents. In December, they participated in a volunteer project to benefit veterans throughout the community. The NAACP, although relatively new to WSU's campus, is also beginning to flourish within the commuComment on this story at nity. According to Amir Jackson, the club's president, wsusignpost.com. the group just needed time to get things going. "The first " " - - - GRAPHIC BY HADEN HAMBLIN | THE SIGNPOST s e m e s t e r w e s e t a s *~^~--.••-_*._ J a foundation year - kind ~~~ of like building our core, our membership, and now that we have that membership, we're doing community service." Jackson expressed his openness to reaching out to other groups. "A lot of people look at the NAACP as a black organization, and although it was primarily formed as a black organization, equality and justice are issues, for all people. One of the things I hope is that we can establish an understanding that we want to work with anyone, with any organization that has a similar mission, a similar vision as the NAACP." See Passion page 8 Marshall White Munch and March for change March inspires students to live the dream By Thomas Alberts sr. news reporter I The Signpost Students, faculty and staff at Weber State University woke early in the morning this past Monday to keep the "dream" alive. The WSU Center for Diversity and Unity, along with members of the surrounding community, gathered at the Marshall White Community and Recreation Center for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Munch and March on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Attendees munched on a breakfast at 8 a.m. provided at the community center and listened to remarks by Stanley Ellington, the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Ogden Branch; Adrienne Gillespie, the Center for Diversity and Unity's coordinator, and various members of Weber State University students and community members gather around the Marshall White Center in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. on Monday, Jan. 17. % • See March page 8 |
