Speaker delivers Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address

The lyrics, “Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom! Oh, freedom over me! And before I’d be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave. And go home to my Lord and be free!” rang through Farber Hall Tuesday night as Arthur Jones led his audience in reciting the old African American Spiritual “Oh Freedom.”

As 2017’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Keynote Speaker, Jones taught the audience of about 30 people about the power of communal singing, and its importance to the American Civil Rights Movement.

A full-time faculty member in the Department of Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Theory at the University of Denver, Jones said he aims to help others “understand that the (Civil Rights) Movement is a long, time consuming process” that is still active today.

“Anyone who feels despondent about the current state of politics must refuse to allow what’s going on to change one’s internal spirits,” Jones said.

During the presentation, Jones encouraged any citizen outraged by the outcome of the recent presidential election to “keep on pushing” and “get involved in what you care about.” He mentioned that change doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s the responsibility of today’s activists to carry Martin Luther King Jr.’s torch.

Mimi Sellers, a member of the human resources department at USD, said that the reason she went was to gain a “new perspective” on the story of Martin Luther King Jr.

As someone who has faced anti-black discrimination all her life, Sellers said that she keeps the spirit of MLK alive by asking the hard questions about prejudice and activism.

“Ask yourself, ‘What are you doing to advance the fight for equality?'” she said.

Another attendant at the keynote address, Rajit Koodali, dean of USD’s graduate school, said it’s important to provide diverse education to students.

“We need to open up a dialogue about (race) issues (in order to help) understand and respect each other’s differences,” Koodali said.

Sellers said that Jones provided a nuanced perspective on Martin Luther King’s life story.

“Today, Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is being drowned out by negativity,” she said. “I hope that the younger generation can learn to value the contributions of MLK and his staff, like my generation did.”