This past weekend students and locals participated in a slate of events leading up to
Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On Friday, the student body, along with the Student Government Association, attended
the MLK convocation on campus where they highlighted the life and achievements of
Dr. King.
During this assembly, the Marching 100, various student organizations, the royal court
and fraternities and sororities gathered inside Al Lawson for the reading of MLK’s “I
Have a Dream” speech.
Aliya Everett, Miss Florida A&M, was proud of the outcome of the convocation.
“It meant a lot to be a part of something so great and impactful,” said Everett “I think
that the Marching 100 did a beautiful job and everyone in Al Lawson looked so happy to
be there as we came together as a student body”.
On Saturday, students visited a local Salvation Army where they helped organize the
store alongside workers and volunteers.
Finally, on MLK Day, student leaders attended Tallahassee’s Dream Defenders parade
where they marched throughout the community singing in great spirits.
Robert Tucker, a fourth year broadcast journalism major, says the parade was
necessary.
“The community definitely needed something like this during trying times in the city,”
said Tucker. “The event was powerful and impacting, to see such a large group of
diverse individuals walking together was a great site to see”.
Shortly after, a street clean-up took place led by the Urban League of Tallahassee.
The Urban League of Tallahassee’s mission is to contribute to positively impacting the
community’s housing and education needs.
Students were able to collect 10 bags of trash off the streets of Tallahassee near
FAMU’s campus.
Zachary Bell, SGA President of Florida A&M, was pleased with the number of students
that participated.
“To see the student body come out and support the community was incredibly effective,
to say the least,” said Bell. “It’s always great to see the student body come together and
take part in service and helping others out.
For more information on upcoming events from the FAMU student body or the Dream
Defenders of Tallahassee, visit their Instagram accounts @bellxburns &
@dreamdefenderstlh.