John receives 'Spirit' award at MLK vigil
by Hylann Camacho, online editor
In the hallway, echoes of the famous speech, “I Have a
Dream”, could be heard, in honor of the candlelight service
for the presentation of the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
awards.
Progress, empowerment, and a need for
involvement in community were the messages at the
Candlelight Service hosted by the Black Student Organization
and the diversity program at South Plains College, honoring
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy.
The service was held at the Sundown
Room in the Student Center on the Levelland campus Jan. 24
at 7pm to honor Ruby Brackens and Stephen John with the
Spirit of MLK Award for their commitment and dedication to
education, community, and social improvement.
The service and performances were led
by the campus’s BSO members. The service began with a prayer
read by Thaddeous Gordon, followed by a moving version of
the “Star Spangled Banner performed by Latrice Price. Engelo
Charles then performed the Beatles song “Yesterday,”
followed by a poem read by Heath Stark. Next, Elizabeth
Taylor performed an interpretive dance.
Brackens, spoke for a short time while
her class from Levelland Intermediate School prepared to
present their Martin Luther King Jr. posters they had
designed as a class project. When speaking about growing up
in the Civil Right Era Brackens said, “All of that happened
for us to learn from.”
She also spoke about how community
involvement was so important.
“If you’re going to make the world a
better place, you need to believe in yourself and get the
job done,” said Brackens.
Following Brackens’ speech,
Reverend J.J. Johnson delivered an inspiring speech. He
talked about MLK’s speech “I Have a Dream” and about how
today we can continue to keep the dream alive and work
harder toward it.
“Every time I come, I get excited to be
here on this campus,” Johnson said. “South Plains College
keeps us reminded of “The Dream,” one student at a time.”
“He (MLK) was not only a dreamer, he was a doer.” “The
purpose of “I Have a Dream” was to empower individuals,”
said Johnson.
He added that the ceremony was a
celebration of “the life, love, labor and legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr. Johnson talked about there needs to be a
stronger sense of community, as well as unity to improve
things for everyone. He told those in audience to turn to
another person and tell him or her ‘We are family.’ He also
talked abut how important better funding for education and
bettering education was, and how we all need to work
together to accomplish these things. “
Johnson spoke the need for
better-paying jobs for all, and that we need to try harder
still to eliminate inequality. He also talked about how MLK
believed in these very same things, that there is need for
non-disruptive social change.
Then Johnson ended his speech with “I
Have a Dream.” The presentation seemed to inspire the
audience.
After Johnson’s speech, two people were
called up to be recognized. Brackens, a teacher at Levelland
Intermediate School, and Stephen John, vice president for
institutional advancement, were presented with the Spirit of
MLK award by Maria Strong, diversity coordinator at SPC.
“I feel absolutely honored to have
received this award,” said Brackens.
When John received his award, he said
that he was deeply honored, adding, “I truly believe with
all my heart education makes a difference.”
“Live your dream” John added.
The event concluded after everyone lit
their candles and the BSO members, with the help of the
audience, sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy was
celebrated and remembered during the service, reminding
everyone to keep the dream alive and honor those who do.
Photos by Melissa Rinehart/Plainsman Press
