President of the Association of Black Students Fred Leach (left), Jennifer Lopez, president of College Hispanic American Students, President R. Gerald Turner, SMU Student Body President Austin Prentice and Dr. Lori White, vice president of student affairs, led the Unity Walk Wednesday afternoon as part of the Dream Week celebration. (Taylor Henry/The Daily Campus)
Pouring onto Bishop Boulevard, a river of more than 60 people sang the words “ring with the harmonies liberty.”
Led by both student and administrative leaders, the group proceeded through SMU’s campus while onlookers listen to their collective voice, some gathering in the walk, too.
“We want to show the campus that we are one,” Frederick Leach, president of the Association of Black Students, said. “Sometimes it seems like we are different communities but we are all one.”
Members of the Dallas community joined with the SMU community for the annual Unity Walk Wednesday afternoon commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Junior Karen Rico believes the event encourages people to recognize the need to work together in order to promote progress.
“We just need a little reminder that we are unified, we are America,” Rico said.
Participants started their march at the flagpole and made a half lap around the boulevard while singing “Lift Every Voice,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “We Shall Overcome” and “Bye and Bye.”
The event concluded with reflections on the significance of King’s work and the idea of unity from President R. Gerald Turner, Student Body President Austin Prentice and Leach.
“It goes so deep as to what he meant to hope and for really bringing about the true American dream,” Turner said.
Steven Johnson, the coordinator of Multicultural Student Services, said despite the progress King made, there is still a need for people to come together.
“We need to let the dream live on, [King’s] work isn’t done,” Johnson said.
Dream Week continued with a Willson Lecture by Dr. Dan Hodge on “The Hostile Gospel: Seeking the Theological Sensibilities within Hip Hop Culture” Thursday in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Forum.
The event, sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain and the Office of Student Activities and Multicultural Student Affairs, spoke about the Hip Hop culture creates a type of “Gospel” within hostile contexts.
Hodge wrote, “Heaven Has A Ghetto: The Missiological Gospel & Theology of Tupac Amaru Shakur” and “The Soul Of Hip Hop: Rimbs, Timbs, & A Cultural Theology.”
His next book will cover what Dr. Hodge spoke about today. The book is titled “The Hostile Gospel: Finding Religion In The Post Soul Theology of Hip Hop.”
The Willson Lecture Series focuses on bringing scholars to the SMU campus to address issues of religion and faith.
