Rice University paid respect to the legacy of pioneering civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events meant to remember the past and provide inspiration for the future.
The weekend’s events started with a vigil held in the Grand Hall at the Rice Memorial Center Jan. 14. The Rice Black Men’s Association and Multicultural Community Relations in Public Affairs sponsored the gathering themed “How Far Have We Come?”
President Reginal DesRoches offered welcoming remarks to the assembly.
“Honoring key figures like Martin Luther King Jr. is important because it motivates us to contribute positively to our communities,” DesRoches said. “Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged the masses to fight for civil rights. He promoted equality, he encouraged nonviolent activism and he fostered education and awareness. His legacy continues to inspire people across the world.”
Professor Kiese Laymon, the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor and professor of English, served as the vigil’s keynote speaker. Laymon is a Black Southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi, whose work bears witness to the forms of violence that mark the Black experience. His writing across multiple forms — including essays, memoirs and fiction — is rooted in his perspective as a Black Southern man and earned him a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Laymon provided his recollection of how King’s life shaped our country.
“Dr. King’s life and words should not be anachronistic posters we bring out every January to remind ourselves that we value a complicated genius who wanted more for this country than this country will ever want for itself,” Laymon said. “Dr. King’s words, like all words shrouded in the power to build, blur and destroy, are here to be wrestled with . . . reckoned with.”
The event was also punctuated by performances from two Houston Grand Opera performers and poetry readings.
The weekend of celebrations was planned to continue Jan. 15 when Owls would march in the 46th Annual Original MLK Jr. Parade alongside a float; however, inclement weather forced organizers to postpone the parade out of an abundance of caution. An announcement will be made soon about the rescheduled parade date.