WCU’s annual Unity March celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Photo by Jessica Posa
The WCU week of celebration for the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. kicked off Monday, Jan. 21 with the Unity March.
The march, which is organized annually at WCU by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, began at 11:30 a.m. outside at the Catafount after a few introductory speakers inside the University Center Grand room at 11 a.m.
BaShaun Smith, Interim Dean of Students at WCU, said in a message to the student body that the march’s theme this year was “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Connection: The Story of U.S.”
“We cannot have a ‘Story of U.S.’ without a community of love, support and mutual respect,” Smith said.
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Treasurer Jordan Sturgis said the purpose of the march is to shed light on the community that Martin Luther King Jr. was a martyr.
“We’re doing this to keep the legacy of the march and keep the tradition going,” Sturgis said.
Another Alpha Phi Alpha member, Trey Armstrong, added, “We’re just here for a greater purpose. Good isn’t good enough nowadays. You have to be the change you want to see in today’s society.”
Brittany Windham, president of WCU’s Black Student Union, gives the call to action at the Unity March. Photo by Jessica Posa.
Before the start of the march the president of the WCU Black Student Union, Brittany Windham, gave participants a call to action for the march. Windham said that even though the march for unity seemed like only a small step in the right direction, it would still make a difference.
Sturgis said that when he first came to WCU three years ago, he didn’t see much unity. He believes WCU’s culture is slowly starting to evolve for the better, but “it’s still not where it needs to be yet.”
“WCU has a long and proud tradition of embracing diversity,” said WCU Chancellor Kelli Brown in a message to the student body.
Brown pointed to past milestones for the university, including:
- WCU’s partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
- Being one of the first public universities in North Carolina to accept an African American student, Levern Hamlin Allen.
- Naming the newest dorm on campus after Allen last fall.
In her message, Brown asked students to reflect on the contributions of King and other African Americans to the United States. She also encourages student participation in the activities planned on campus to honor King this coming week.
See more photos from the Western Carolina University Unity March 2020
