By Shannon West
Staff writer
Barry Gan, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, gave a presentation titled, “MLK: The Reluctant Leader” in The Loft on Wednesday to pay homage to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Gan stated that for Dr. King, leadership was “thrust upon him” and that he “felt obligated to do so.” Gan pointed out the instances where King struggled to deal with the responsibility of leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, he also stated that although King “started off locally,” he was famous because he had been making national awareness of his leadership.
“He didn’t aim to be national,” said Gan, also the director of the center for non-violence. “He just aimed at the injustices and where he saw them.”
The lecture lasted for about 45 minutes and then Gan opened up the floor for a question panel, featuring three student leaders; Malaika Worshan, junior, sports studies major, J.W. Cook, junior, and Jasmine Foster, senior, journalism and mass communication major to answer questions about the challenges of leadership.
Nichole Gonzalez, executive director for residential living and conduct, asked about what could be changed at St. Bonaventure. Many of them agreed that we need more involvement on campus.
“I would say student activism on all levels, getting students involved in any events here on campus is difficult,” said Cook, a political science major. “I think we have a culture here in St. Bonaventure, coming from my perspective, where we don’t necessarily care about things we are not involved in. I would like to change that at St. Bonaventure in some way.”
Gonzalez believes that even though King was “a flawed human being like everyone else,” as a leader he had the “qualities and gifts that moved him forward.” She also said she believes it is important to try and bring out those qualities in the students on campus.
“I think a lot of times we need to, both student leaders and the administration, need to slow down to sit, be with other students, and really being to point out what they’re doing well and encouraging them and providing any opportunities whenever possible,” said Gonzalez. “I think that’s one of the biggest things you can do for students to be a better person to give them those opportunities and point them in the right direction.”
On Monday, the university will host the “MLK Celebration of Life” at 7 p.m. in Rigas Theater of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, according to the university’s #RaceMatters campaign page. The celebration will include events such as the SBU Step Team performance, a video presentation on “What MLK Means to Me,” a student reading of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and personal reflections from students, faculty, staff and administrators on the impact of King’s legacy.
For an updated schedule, visit www.sbu.edu/RaceMatters. All of the events are free and open to the public.
westsm14@bonaventure.edu
