Colleges commemorate Martin Luther King Jr day with virtual lectures

NDSU and Concordia College help shine light on racial injustices within the community

FARGO, N.D.-MOORHEAD – In light of Martin Luther King Jr day, College campuses throughout the metro are using the holiday to bring awareness to racial injustices throughout the community.

Many of the textbooks that educated us do not touch on Martin Luther King Jr’s pursuit later in his life to bring attention to the atrocities faced by all marginalized groups in the United States,” Concordia College DEIC Lead Commissioner, Anna Brock said.

Concordia College helped shine a light on the injustices that Dr. King fought for and for some people it hit close to home.

“We’re referring to Martin Luther King’s speech about stolen people on stolen land and our histories are very intertwined. I was raised in the American Indian movement because that’s what came out of the resistance to this,” Concordia College Keynote Speaker, Lakota Harden said.

While NDSU held virtual readings on Some of Dr. King’s greatest testimonies.

Concordia College held worship to highlight some of the same injustices.

The worship continued with a lecture on MLK’s goals.

“He truly believed that we cannot achieve racial equality without addressing this nation’s past and the lived experiences of all racial and ethnic minority groups,” said Brock .

The groups in focus include local Native Americans and their land.

“We’ve had a horrific genocidal practice against us, manifest destiny, stolen people on stolen land and so we all are here today everyone of us is here today because our ancestors were resilient,” said Harden.

The series of lectures from both colleges sought to bring culture and education together as Dr. King once said…

“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits,” – Martin Luther King Jr.

If you missed the events, you can find a link to the virtual ceremonies here.