King's dream, 40 years later
By Brittany Benjamin
Had he seen the crowd that came to celebrate his life and legacy Monday night in Mayer Theatre, one can hope that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been proud.
The crowd of more than 120 consisted of viewers of every race and color, coming together to remember King's life and address the ongoing battle for racial equality.
Igwebuike, the black student union on campus, hosted Monday night's event in Mayer Theatre. The production showcased poetry, song, dance and several skits that dared the audience to confront many of the issues King fought against that still exist today.
All of the skits were written by Robert Alexander, writer of 29 plays, including "Servant of the People," a play about the rise and fall of Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party. Student Yha'Mourhia D. Wright directed the show.
The cast, consisting of about 30 students, portrayed important issues facing the black community today. Among these issues were domestic violence, single-parenting, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, racial profiling and stereotyping.
"We will portray these stereotypes so that we may destroy them," said senior Kendra Okposo, co-chair of Igwebuike, in her opening speech. "Let us find and use our power to reveal the true content of our character."
For the next hour, the audience was torn between moments of amusement and moments of heart-wrenching honesty.
The audience laughed at skits that used humor to approach difficult topics. One particularly funny moment presented itself when a woman played by Leslie Henry, having been physically abused, kicked her husband out of the house, threatening him with a butcher knife.
"I think I'm going to go take a nice long bath," she said, having slammed the door and thrown the blade aside. The lights faded and the crowd erupted into laughter and cheers.
Yet, the mood became quietly somber during musical performances and a special PowerPoint presentation highlighting the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS.
The most startling statistic: While only making up 13 percent of the American population, black Americans account for 49 percent of all new HIV diagnoses.
However, the most spine-tingling moment came at the very end of the production, when the entire cast took the stage to sing the Black National Anthem. They were joined by audience members who stood and sang along, helped by the words published in the night's program.
"Lift ev'ry voice and sing/ till earth and heaven ring," the crowd sang. "Ring with the harmonies of Liberty/ let our rejoicing rise/ high as the list'ning skies/ let it resound loud as the rolling sea."
King, always an activist, was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. He was assassinated at 39.
Monday's performance left audience members remembering how much further his activism needs to be carried into the future by today's generation.
Contact Brittany Benjamin at (408) 551-1918 or brbenjamin@scu.edu.