Wright State to hold MLK march and rally

Wright State University’s second annual MLK Unity March and Rally will be held Tuesday, a day after the national holiday.

“We’re basing (the event) off of a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Amaha Sellassie, event organizer and WSU student. “The quote says, ‘people fail to get a long because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.’”

The event will start with the march, which will begin at noon at five different campus locations.

The starting locations are:

  • The Woods-Laurel Hall
  • The main doors of the Dunbar Library
  • The main doors of the Russ Engineering Building
  • The Forest Lane Community Center
  • College Park C-Store

The starting points represent principles of Martin Luther King Jr., according to Sellassie. Those principles include King’s World House vision, Non-Violent direct action, economic justice, social justice and equality.

After leaving the starting points, all the marchers will meet at the red Turning Points in the center of campus. This meeting place will represent unconditional love.

“We’re focusing on how to build connections amongst diverse people,” Sellassie said of the purpose of the event. “As we get to know each other and build trust, we can strengthen our social fabric.” He went on to say that if the event is successful, it will begin “the initial conversation about what kind of community do we want to live in and start taking the practical steps to become that community.”

When the marchers leave the red sculpture they will march to the Student Union for a rally and some workshops led by Sellassie, Catherine Crosby, director of Dayton’s Human Relations Council; Tom Wahlrab, former council director; Kimberly Barrett, WSU’s vice-president of Multicultural Affairs and Community Engagement; and Michael Bernstein, WSU’s assistant dean and lecturer for the Raj Soin College of Business Administration.

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