I called my grandma to wish her a happy birthday last Monday, which also happened to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We went through the usual topics of talking about my cousins, how much I’m eating and whether or not I use the toilet regularly, but eventually she got around to asking me what was going on in honor of King’s birthday. I mentioned the “King in Us All” event taking place that evening, and she told me I should go. Even though my grandmother has never been to Brandeis, and has trouble pronouncing it sometimes, she understands the importance of attending these types of events.
To appease her, I told her at the moment that I might stop by, but wound up not attending, opting to sit in the library and do homework. Obviously if I had planned my weekend better, I would have already had this work completed and I would have had time to attend the event. But those thoughts aren’t passing through my head as I lie in bed at one in the afternoon. Unfortunately not attending this event made me remember all of the other events that I didn’t make the time to attend.
Attending college is not only about going to class and learning something that might help you achieve gainful employment. There are numerous other aspects to the experience that make it something truly unique. Of course this characteristic isn’t limited to Brandeis, but our university has a special quality that allows memorials and remembrances to turn into truly magical moments. These types of events occur quite frequently, so opportunities to be a part of something and be a part of that greater sense of community, are everywhere.
The sense of community promoted by these events should not be lost in the shuffle of studying for class or writing a paper, but it usually is. As college students, we become accustomed to making sacrifices. Buying generic cereal instead of the tastier name-brands, putting up with cheap one-ply toilet paper and wearing the same pair of pants for days after all contribute to our collective struggle, which is certainly real.
Yet we shouldn’t have to sacrifice attending important events even if we have work to get done. Perhaps the university can figure out a way to tape and stream these important events. When a visiting speaker comes to campus or a vigil is held around Chapels’ Pond, a stream should be made available online so students can watch later on or simply from somewhere else as the event is taking place. Beyond convenience, it would be prudent to record all of these events to create archives of what happens at Brandeis. This might already exist, and if it does, it wouldn’t be difficult to just open the doors and create a portal for students to watch events in a much more convenient manner.
Toward the end of King’s life, he began to focus on the issues of economic inequality that existed between races, and knew that a change here would possibly do the most for people of color. Additionally, the underlying message of the Civil Rights Movement was equal access and opportunity for all. The university already does a great job of opening up the school to students from all backgrounds and making it feasible for them to attend, despite ludicrous tuition. And when there are free events put on by the school, such as the Messiah Sing during the fall semester finals period, the same sort of access should be granted.
In the email Dean of Students Jamele Adams sent out to students advertising the King event, he stated that people should arrive to the ticket booth early, because of its popularity. Yet that shouldn’t be the case. We shouldn’t have to turn away students because of space constraints when there is technology readily available to broadcast these events.
And although I missed out on the “King In Us All” memorial, I still found a way to remember him. Reminded of what my born-again, Evangelical mother would tell me each morning before heading out to wait for the bus, I grew both nostalgic and hopeful for the future. In the words of famed Christian author and broadcaster Robert A. Cook, “Walk with the king today, and be a blessing.” There is something to be learned from remembering the heroes of our past.
