April 4 marked the day that the inspirational black leader Martin Luther King was assassinated. While this day was one of extreme importance, the actions of countless Florida A&M University students said otherwise.
In order to recognize King and his contributions to America, the FAMU chapter of the NAACP hosted an event at the Eternal Flame. While there are about 11,500 students on campus, an estimated crowd of about 20 individuals showed up.
Earlier that day, more than three times the students who came out to the Eternal Flame were on The Set for Set Friday. Many students attribute their absence to the lack of publicity for the event, but a Facebook group as well as fliers promoted the event throughout campus.
If it weren’t for black leaders such as King, we wouldn’t have the luxury or chance to come together and party on The Set or even get an education at an institution as great as FAMU.
The commemoration not only gave people a chance to reflect on the life of King, but it allowed students to gather and talk about how far blacks have come in addition to how much farther we have to go.
Not only do we need to remember and celebrate those people who came before us, but also we need to come together as brothers and sisters to help guide each other through life’s biggest issues. We’ve come a long way, but we have an even longer way to go.