BEMIDJI — Though Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially recognized on Monday, students, staff and community members gathered in Bemidji State’s American Indian Resource Center on Tuesday to celebrate not only the man but the movement of which he was part.
Held annually, each event provides opportunities for the campus community to reflect on King’s legacy as well as the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. Tuesday’s event aimed to recognize King’s leadership as well as his effect on those around him.
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“We are here to honor one of the powerhouses of the Civil Rights Movement,” Associate Campus Diversity Officer Ashley Gomez said in opening. “In the grand tapestry of history, we often remember the names that shined the brightest, the ones who stood at the podium, marched at the front lines and inspired millions with their words. King is one of the leaders whose dream transformed the nation.
“But even King himself once said, ‘Everyone can be great because anyone can serve.’ We gather not just to honor the work of an extraordinary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but also to shine a light on the countless unsung heroes who stood beside him. Those who worked in the shadows, whose names are not written in the pages of history but helped build the bridge we continue to cross.”
Following the reading of BSU’s Land Acknowledgement Statement by Student Senate President Darby Bersie, International Student Organization President Juliana Nixon provided the student welcome for the evening.
“This gathering is so much more than a commemoration. It is a call to action, a reminder that every one of us has a role to play in shaping a brighter and more just future,” Nixon said. “As student leaders, we understand that the path to progress begins right here on our campus. It begins with small, everyday acts of courage, kindness and determination.
“Dr. King once said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?’”
‘Strength in diversity’
After the playing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — often referred to as the Black National Anthem — BSU and Northwest Technical College President John Hoffman delivered remarks regarding diversity and collective action.
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“There is strength in diversity. That, today, seems to be a political statement,” Hoffman noted. “When I say that there’s strength in diversity, it is seeing the capacity in every one of the members of our community. … It’s expanding definitions of merit to understand that different folks do things in different ways that collectively help us achieve greater outcomes and greater realities than what we could do individually.”
Further emphasizing Hoffman’s point, spoke to attendees via Zoom about the many faces of the Civil Rights Movement.
Williams serves as the Distinguished University Chair, Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He received his doctorate from Howard University in 1998.
Williams has also written, co-authored and edited 11 books and has appeared on a variety of local and national television and radio programs.
“Dr. King, like so many others who made up the movement he led, was simply a dedicated soul who was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Williams said. “You see that theme continuously in the memoirs of people who were active in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s from Rosa Parks to the Little Rock Nine to John Lewis and scores of others.
“Part of the problem we have in our contemporary society is that we're conditioned to search for heroes and paragons instead of the sources of inspiration that lifted them up in the pursuit of justice and equality. These sources provided them with courage, the same courage that we seek within ourselves, to be leaders in the quest for what Dr. King called the beloved community.”
While concluding his speech, Williams encouraged attendees — particularly students — to rely on others when pursuing change in their communities and world.
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“We have a habit of telling young people that they stand on the shoulders of giants. You do not stand on the shoulders of giants, you are the giants,” Williams left off, “but you’ve got to learn from other giants, those people who use the power within themselves for good, for justice, for righteousness, for equality.”
‘A chorus of changemakers’
Gomez thanked all the organizations who collaborated to plan and host Tuesday’s event including Project for Change, Peacemaker Resources, the President’s Office, Black Student Union and the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“The story of progress is written not by a single author, but a chorus of changemakers,” Gomez said. “Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, we still have a dream. By becoming the unsung heroes of tomorrow, let us move forward together to shape a future where everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”
Similar collaborations will continue when BSU hosts its Unity Uplift: Black History Heritage Celebration and President’s Reception in honor of Black History Month from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, in Upper Hobson’s Beaux Arts Ballroom.
Former BSU Professor Gabriel Warren — now the Dean of Applied Design, Business, Industry and Human Services at Century College — will serve as guest speaker.
All President’s Receptions are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
More information on upcoming events and initiatives can be found on
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