 "Photo: Lionel Sobehart")
Nearly 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Washington University's Assembly Series, his words are still remembered in the annual commemoration ceremony at Graham Chapel. The Martin Luther King commemorative committee, which has organized celebrations for the past 20 years, wanted to continue King's dreams through a series of diversity events throughout the semester.
This year's Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, which were themed, "The Dreams of One, the Actions of Many, the Responsibility of All," focused on the community's participation in continuing diversity.
James McLeod, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, stressed that "just being present isn't enough. Participation isn't enough. There needs to be an active role and a sense of ownership within our community."
McLeod, along with former Chancellor William Danforth, were jointly presented the Rosa L. Parks award for meritorious service, an award that was inaugurated last year. The Parks award was created to recognize those individuals that promoted civil rights within St. Louis, a city often associated with racial disparity.
John Baugh, director of African and African American Studies (AFAS) department, speculated on the unique racial makeup of St. Louis, which has faced problems with integrating urban centers throughout the years.
"For a combination of reasons, not the least of which is location, St. Louis does not represent the same type of ethnic diversity that you find in some of the major coastal cities such as New York or Los Angeles. Because Missouri was historically a slave state, and it's on the Mississippi River, there is a long history of black-white race relations that is prominent here that isn't comparable to major cities."
As the nation was struggling with racial relations, the University underwent a lot of pressure as St. Louis University and other area private high schools desegregated far before the civil rights movement. The University fully desegregated its undergraduate schools in 1950, but there were still several steps required to fully integrate the student body.
The creation of AFAS took student initiative, as members of the Association of Black Collegians (ABC) took over Brookings Hall in 1968 and handed the administration a "Black Manifesto." The manifesto demanded the creation of a black studies program, hiring of black faculty and campus police and the addition of classes on civil rights.
"There wasn't anything systematic in the curriculum that was devoted to the scholarly contributions of slave descendants. [The students] felt it was a substantial gap in the University's programs," said Baugh.
The ABC eventually changed their name to the Association of Black Students and the black studies program was turned into the current AFAS program. Over the past years, the program has seen a marked rise in the number of students that not only take their classes, but also that choose to take the major.
"One of the things we've seen is the number of African American students is larger now. I think all of us would say it is not large enough, though," said McLeod.
Baugh added that in the past year, he has seen his classes split roughly half white students and half black students. He also noted the greater geographic diversity of black students at the University as times have changed.
"When I was a student, the vast majority of African American students could trace their ancestry to slave descendants. Now, there are many whose parents immigrated from the West Indies and many students of African descent whose parents moved here from Africa who have no relation to the slave experience," said Baugh.
As students have moved from activism to firmly establishing black leadership on campus, many still feel that more progress could be made.
"I do think that Wash. U. is making a strong effort in promoting diversity, but I think that the students could do more to be actively involved in other group's cultural activities. I think there is a fear of how they will be judged, but I think this fear is often unfounded," said senior LeMar Moore, director of this year's Black Anthology skit.
Black Anthology, which performs in February, will kick off a series of celebrations that will be held in the spirit of the Martin Luther King Jr.
One notable coincidence is that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott decision, which took place in St. Louis. Later this semester, the School of Law will host a conference focusing on the legacy of the decision.
The Dred Scott decision, which denied citizenship to black people, was a controversial court case that strained race relations until the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954.
"What a lot of people in St. Louis don't appreciate is that the local jury of whites voted to give them their freedom. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned that decision," said Baugh. "There's also a legacy of progressive race relations that people don't understand. We want to let people know that St. Louis is one of the first cities to stand up for racial equality."
Other events that are being held in the spirit of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations include a display of the Henry Hampton archives, a traveling exhibit of King's legacy and an African film festival.
For more information about upcoming events, visit mlk.wustl.edu, which will debut later this month.
