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Until we are all free: UMass Lowell celebrates legacy of MLK

Dan Cook
Connector Editor

From the podium, the passionate words of Dr. Charles Desmond rang through Cumnock Hall.

“You are the change he was talking about,” said Desmond, the Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. The “you” was in reference to the audience of students, faculty and volunteers and the “he” was in reference to one of America’s foremost leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Members of the UMass Lowell community gathered last Wednesday night to celebrate the legacy of King at the third annual MLK Dinner. The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and tagged with the theme: until we are all free.

The dinner was the culmination of a week of events dedicated to spreading the spirit of King which included a book drive, that collected over 800 children’s books for charity, and a student oratorical contest.

The contest’s winner, Daniel Uk, delivered his speech during Wednesday’s dinner celebration.

“King had a dream,” he said. “I too have dream.”

Shoo, the President of the Cambodian American Association at UMass Lowell, has been fighting to bring new vision to the Cambodian community. He began his speech by stating that 35% of Cambodians in Lowell do not finish high school and of the high school graduates, 66% do not attend college.

“I challenged this statistic with every ounce of my integrity,” Uk said.

He recalled feeling the future in his hand as he grasped his high school diploma in June of 2012. Uk called for more support and encouragement for students to allow them to rise up and become more than statistics.

“We must do so much more to help our community prosper,” he said.

Desmond, the evening’s keynote speaker, shared a similar message of striving for change and supporting public education.
“We have to be the state that gets more students in and out of higher education,” he said.

Desmond did not find his calling to higher education in the classroom, but rather on the battlefield of Vietnam in 1967.

“I was left for dead on the battlefield,” he said. “I thought I was likely to die and wondered what I had done to get myself here.”

With his life in jeopardy, Desmond vowed to get himself in a position to make a difference if he survived the war. Over four decades later he sits as Chair of one of the most progressive education systems in the nation. He credited UMass Lowell as one of the most successful institutions in Massachusetts.

To the applause of the audience, he liked UMass Lowell to a public MIT.

Though praising the current state of higher education, Desmond acknowledged that many African Americans were not allowed to attend college decades ago.

“50 years ago, King was quoted saying that being a Negro meant to smile when you want to cry and having your legs cut off, but being slandered for being a cripple,” said Desmond.

Executive Vice Chancellor Jackie Moloney also admitted that the days of racial inequality are neither far behind nor entirely over.

“1964 wasn’t that long ago,” she said. “There is still so much work to be done.”

The day of the segregated South have come and gone, but Desmond drew attention to the current issue of poverty in America. He felt that King would be concerned about the 50 million US citizens living in poverty today.

“If anything would bring a smile to his [King’s] face, it would be civic service,” he said. “Anyone can serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

Four MLK Distinguished Service Awards were given to individuals who made a difference on campus and in the community. Jimmy Ortiz won the Student Award. The Faculty Award went to Dr. Elise Bruce. Claire Hall was honored with the Staff Award and DaQuall Graham received the Community Member Award.

Winners of the Murkland Elementary School art contest and Stoklosa Middle School essay project were also recognized at the event.