By Noah Brasseur
The Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Celebration was observed Jan. 18 at Saginaw Valley State University with huge a turn out.
Almost every seat at the event was filled. The crowd that gathered was passionate as they offered up multiple standing ovations throughout the proceedings. The night included an award ceremony, an in-depth discussion with civil rights activist Bakari Sellers, and a small musical performance by Grammy Award-winner Pastor Marvin L. Winans.
18 awards were given out in total, 15 scholarships to high school students from various local schools, and three Drum Major awards.
“Recipients of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Award,” read a text from the provided brochure. selflessly perform daily acts of service that make their respective communities- and the world- a better place.”
After the awards, including a small video that was prepared with help from Delta College, keynote speaker Bakari Sellers engaged in a dialogue onstage with SVSU’s John Kaczynski.
Sellers, who made history as the youngest state representative in the nation at the time of his election, offered commentary cycled between being humorous and serious, discussing a range of topics that varied from his time in office to reflecting on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life.
“Mom said she’d vote for me,” Sellers said, throwing the crowd into a fit of laughter. “Dad said he’d think about it.”
At one point, a cellphone rang during his talk. He said he didn’t mind being interrupted, though, because he “had stock in Verizon.”
It was not just a comedy routine. Sellers spoke about contemporary American life and what MLK means to the country.
“We have whitewashed the way we talk about Martin Luther King,” he said. “Nobody actually teaches who he is. We make it seem like he was some docile individual when he was actually a radical revolutionary.”
Sellers continued with a reference that many will understand.
“I remind people that Dr. King was not liked,” he said. And later continued, “At no point in Donald Trump’s entire life did his approval rating get as low as Dr. Martin Luther King’s approval rating in that time.”
Sellers also had insights into the United States’ record on civil rights, and what it’s taken to get to a more equitable society.
“You don’t have the Fair Housing Act but for the assassination of Dr. King. You don’t get that legislation unless King is assassinated,” Sellers said. “We don’t take the confederate flag down in South Carolina unless nine people are killed in a church. You don’t have a conversation about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act if George Floyd isn’t murdered in the street and we all see it.”
“We have made a lot of progress in this country, but the cost of that progress is unnerving,” he said. “The cost has not decreased and that’s the troublesome part of where we are.”
Still, despite his criticisms of modern America, Sellers maintains hope for a better future.
“Nothing about this country is irredeemable,” he shared. “We just need to reimagine what she looks like.”
