The Freshman Forum took time to celebrate a pivotal leader from the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who is famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech. 

The ceremony took place January 18 outside of John Lewis Hall. Many individuals have never listened to the entirety of King’s famous speech, so the Freshman Forum sought to change that. 

“Sometimes you just hear the quotes, and you hear what he says and you take it into your mind but hearing the speech and what it is about is truly what’s important,” Malek Stafford, a member of Freshman Forum, said. “I think MLK would want more people to recite his speech instead of just quotes.”

The participants walked to remember King’s legacy as well as reflect on their dreams. There was a dream board for individuals to write down their personal goals. 

“We created this board because of Martin Luther King’s famous speech, and we basically wanted the participants for this event to go ahead and write something down that they dream of,” Jayden McQueen, another member of Freshman Forum, said. “It kind of captures his speech.”

One of the participants was a kindergartener named Finn. His dream is to one day be a Minecraft professional. 

Others dreamed of a better envisioned by King. Though King gave his speech 60 years ago, his words continue to inspire today’s youth. 

“Service above self is actually in our Freshman Forum motto,” McQueen explained. “As a leader, he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and be a part of the community.”

“There still needs to be change and until we can come together as one group of people then there is still change to be done,” Stafford said. 

For more information on the Freshman Forum and its upcoming events, follow them on Instagram@freshmanforum.