By BJ LEWIS

bvl001@latech.edu

 

Planning is underway for the 4th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Observance Jan. 16 at the Ruston Civic Center. This service is planned by several Tech organizations and members of the Ruston community.

“The program serves to break down barriers where everyone will feel comfortable in one setting or one program honoring him,” Mert Douglas, director of Multicultural Affairs, said.

Douglas said the service includes guest speakers from the community and participation from student organizations at Tech.

Since the program’s inception, the committee responsible for its organization has sought ways to make it more diverse, Douglas said.

They have also strived to make it accessible for all participants and not just minorities, Douglas said.

Initially the idea began with inviting students to Zion Hill Baptist Church in Ruston, Douglas said. This went on for a few years and the number of students grew.

Douglas said she helped plan and establish a march from campus to the church.

A slight problem one year has inspired a change in the format of the service, Douglas said.

“The church had a guest speaker who was not sensitive to the audience we pooled together,” Douglas said.

The audience gathered together for the service was a mix of races, Douglas said.

“[King] was about peace and not dissension,” Douglas said. “It was his day to not capitalize on the negative and try to look forward to the positive.”

Douglas said this problem along with steadily growing numbers made it necessary to change the venue of the program and enhance it.

“The way we were setting the program up wasn’t ecumenical enough,” Douglas said.

Douglas said those putting on the service have tried to be inclusive of all the faculty, students and members and organizations of the community in the planning of the program.

The word “ecumenical” is used in the title but the program seeks to go beyond the strict religious connotation of the word.

Dr. Reginald Owens, a member of the planning committee and an associate professor of journalism, said usually people think of ecumenical in religious terms and not always in the way it should be thought of.

“It’s spiritual but not about a particular religion,” Owens said. “We welcome everybody since that’s what [Martin Luther King] was about.”

Owens, who has served on the planning committee for all four of the services, said he could not think of too many programs like the ecumenical observance in the area and said it serves to remind people of the goals King tried to achieve.

“It’s an opportunity for us to celebrate King’s world view,” Owens said.

“We must work together to survive and prosper. It’s a noble goal given all the division we have in society.

The program itself happens in January but for organizations like the Student Government Association, planning and word of mouth is just as important this early in the year.

“The way it falls, we get back from winter break, and we have two weeks until the service,” Lindsay Mencacci, president of the SGA and a senior biology major, said.

“It’s important to plan it early because we’re trying to involve the university, Ruston and Grambling communities,” Mencacci said. 

She said they are trying to get local parish schools involved as well because they will celebrate a unity among organizations in the community.

“I think it’s a great program,” Mencacci said. “It’s not only an African-American or a white issue. It’s a day that promotes togetherness and the whole community coming together and celebrating his vision.”