Texas A&M University students, faculty and administrators all joined together to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and universally enjoy a breakfast together.
Hosted by the Memorial Student Center Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee, or MSC WBAC, the annual MLK Breakfast brings in keynote speakers to reflect on the impact of King’s legacy. This year's event welcomed Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. as the keynote speaker, as well as A&M’s director of the Race & Ethnic Studies Institute Troy Harden, Ph.D., as the moderator of the forum.
The breakfast began at 9 a.m. on Jan. 26 with the Voices of Praise & Century Sounds welcoming guests by singing “Lift every voice and sing,” often referred to as the "Black National Anthem." Afterwards, special projects director at MSC WBAC, JJ Torres, explained the history of the organization.
“We would like to honor those who have come before us,” Torres said. “Those students in 1969, who formed the committee on Black Student Affairs, who took charge of addressing issues directly affecting black students.”
The purpose of MSC WBAC is to enhance the understanding of the culture, contributions and impact on the society of people of African descent, Torres said
“We hope to do this by providing educational and community building programs and experiences for the Texas A&M university community,” Torres said.
By hosting this event, the MSC WBAC hopes to foster a spirit of action in the A&M community and remember everything that King stood for in the Civil Rights Movement.
“This annual event serves as a formal way to reflect on the life, legacy and accomplishments of Dr. King and honor the national holiday,” Torres said.
Keynote speaker Bernice A. King said, as a young girl, she missed not having her father around to share her extracurricular activities and successes, but is proud to be able to honor his legacy.
“I was five when he was assassinated,” King said. “I think it’s important we continue to commemorate his birthday because, to me, he provided a vision for our world.”
King said she held a lot of anger growing up, but her mom, Coretta Scott King, helped to guide her in the right direction.
“I was riding down one of Atlanta’s highways,” King said. “[My mom] stopped me in the middle of what I was saying and said ‘baby, never make a decision in your anger.’”
With so much more work to be done, King said she hopes the difficult discussions around injustice continue.
“A lot of injustice or racism can exist in a beloved community,” King said. “But the people who are in the beloved community can be committed to utilizing nonviolence as a means to reach a community of that racism.”
King said she will continue to speak out as an attorney, minister and the CEO of the King Center to continue spreading her father’s message of nonviolence and empowerment.
“God’s access to the Earth is through humankind,” King said. “I have to keep going through this process … when He wants to plant a seed and wants to water it, I may not see what comes of it, but I know that I’m to be a vessel.”
