College celebrates civil rights hero

Pastor George Waddles Jr. gives the keynote speech for the event. Sara Faraj | Washtenaw Voice

By Lilly Kujawski
Editor

Sara Faraj
Photo Editor

According to Pastor George Waddles Jr., in order to make a real difference in the world, we must be prepared to serve and willing to sacrifice—but first we need to wake up.

Waddles, who leads the Second Baptist Church of Ypsilanti, was the keynote speaker at the WCC Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, which occurred on Jan. 17 in the Student Center.

“Our theme, again, this year, is ‘stay ready, stay woke’, and it is derived from the speech that Dr. King delivered on March 31, 1968, just a few days before he was assassinated,” said Waddles, who holds an honorary associate’s degree from the college, awarded by the Board of Trustees. “Dr. King said that ‘one of the great liabilities of history is that all too often, all too many people fail to remain awake during great periods of social change.’”

Clarence Jennings Jr., dean of student access, success, equity and inclusion at WCC, also spoke at the event. His speech reflected similar sentiments on the idea of “staying woke.” He mentioned March For Our Lives, the anti-gun violence movement organized by survivors of the school shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“Holding steadfast to the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, a generation woke up,” Jennings said of the student organizers.

Even so, there are still people today who “fail to remain awake” in the face of injustice, according to Waddles.

“I dare say, there are those who are asleep right now in America, as a far more sinister, fledgling revolution is trying to stretch its wings,” Waddles said. “This fledgling revolution is designed to erase the progress of the past and return to a far more segregated, homogenous, intolerant America.”

This “sinister revolution” intends to “keep other ‘certain’ individuals in their place, perhaps on the other side of a wall,” Waddles said, likely in reference to President Trump’s desire to build a wall along the Mexican-American border.

Waddles urged students to “stay ready” and “stay woke” by following King’s example of selflessness and his resolve to take action.

“You and I, like King, must be prepared to serve and willing to sacrifice,” Waddles said. “His voice calls you and I, who are alive at this point in history, to use our gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities to advance the cause of freedom.”

“We must wake up to the fact that we have a moral responsibility to help others,” he said.

Waddles stressed the importance of education, attributing much of King’s readiness to fulfill the role of a civil rights leader to his academic background. By age 25, King had earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, a bachelor of divinity degree and a doctorate in systematic theology.

Waddles encouraged students to ready themselves during their collegiate years, just as King did.

“Your education is your preparation period. Don’t cut it short,” he said.

As an ode to King, Gayle Martin, WCC voice and choir director, performed two songs for the event, accompanied by Brian Buckner, a performing arts staff member, on keyboard. Members of the audience bobbed their heads and sang along to Martin’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.

King’s work to uphold the “strength of education” is something Thornton Perkins, a history teacher at the college, sees in WCC.

“This very institution was started in 1965, which was during the era of Dr. King’s great accomplishments, and so I attribute the existence of this institution directly to his influence,” Perkins said.

“I think it’s inspiring, that even though he’s been gone from here for a while, we’re still living on and carrying on his dreams, and to see people from all different walks join together and stand up for this movement is amazing,” said Alexis Tait, 26, an occupational studies student at WCC.

Theresa Ford, 26, a graphic design major, felt similarly about the event.

“Just the fact that an African-American pastor can come speak at a college that is so close to Ann Arbor, which is still a pretty heavily white area, and not have an issue, but actually be celebrated, is showing what MLK has done for us,” said Ford.

As for the future, “I think we just need to keep [Dr. King’s] spirit and body in mind at all times, and I think that’s a great motivation, and incentive, for us to keep striving for freedom,” Perkins said.

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