EVENT // Celebration
Martin Luther King, III Visits UAPB 65 Years After His Father
by Dianna Donahue - 02.27.2023
One of Arkansas' historical, educational treasures, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, ended its Black History Month celebration with featured guest speaker Martin Luther King, III - the eldest son of iconic Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. His visit to the campus took place 65 years after his father gave the 1958 commencement speech. This was a very controversial decision made by the former Arkansas AM&N chancellor, Lawrence A. Davis, Sr., one that Black and white Arkansans disliked because they viewed Dr. King as a troublemaker with the potential of disrupting how things were.
"65 years ago my father, I think this was the only place in the state of Arkansas, the only school at least that he spoke for commencement."
This program launched the university’s year-long sesquicentennial celebration and was the closing feature for Black History Month. In King III's speech, he shed light on several topics affecting Black people and Black communities, including the significance of being "woke," the political, state-base game of passing laws against Critical Race Theory, the effort of removing elements of Black history from all levels of education except law school, how media will portray efforts for justice and equality, and the true purpose and intent of the Black Lives Matter movement, organization, and declaration. He charged the attendees to be more involved in what is happening in their communities and in the world, especially the young people.
"There are communities around our nation that are saying that Black History, elements of Black History, that should not be the case in 2023 ... I'm encouraging our community to say enough is enough, we're not gonna accept that. ...We need young people to be engaged in leadership so that we change, in a positive way, in our nation. ...I'm not proud of what we had to go through [in the past 12 years], but I'm excited by the fact that there were young people engaged in leadership.
In King III's conclusion, he accented his encouragement to leadership by referencing a snippet of his father's famous words to tell the audience how to start the process of becoming a leader:
"Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can’t be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be the best little shrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are - that's our challenge!"
The evening included a UAPB ROTC Color Guard and the Spirit Team presentation and performances from the UAPB's legendary Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4 Band) and the Vesper Choir. Minister Charles Harris, III, provided the Invocation, Miss UAPB, Errayionna Jackson, gave the greeting, and Zach Webb provided the purpose of the evening. The event was attended by several of Pine Bluff's dignitaries including, Mayor Shirley M. Washington and Senator Stephanie Flowers, and noted UAPB Alum, including Bill Walker. The evening ended with closing remarks from Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's distinguished Chancellor and the school's alma mater. The program was live-streamed on the college's YouTube channel and free to the public.
"Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can’t be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be the best little shrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are - that's our challenge!"
The evening included a UAPB ROTC Color Guard and the Spirit Team presentation and performances from the UAPB's legendary Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4 Band) and the Vesper Choir. Minister Charles Harris, III, provided the Invocation, Miss UAPB, Errayionna Jackson, gave the greeting, and Zach Webb provided the purpose of the evening. The event was attended by several of Pine Bluff's dignitaries including, Mayor Shirley M. Washington and Senator Stephanie Flowers, and noted UAPB Alum, including Bill Walker. The evening ended with closing remarks from Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's distinguished Chancellor and the school's alma mater. The program was live-streamed on the college's YouTube channel and free to the public.
