Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored by students, administrators, city members and civil rights activists as part of the University of Idaho Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.
“(King) was a leader we could all stand behind,” Robert Singleton said.
Singleton jump-started the events Friday afternoon, with a speech about his struggles as part of the 1961 Freedom Riders. The civil rights activist group rode interstate buses across the country into the segregated South to test the decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Boynton v. Virgina case.
While Singleton spoke of the past, he also urged students to have goals in whatever movement they desire. He noted that there is still discrimination to fight against, including laws that make it legal to fire an openly gay person and laws that deny gays housing opportunities.
“You’re going to inherit the kind of country you deserve,” Singleton said.
The following day, Singleton’s wife, Helen, spoke at the 19th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Human Rights Breakfast at Moscow Junior High School. Helen Singleton was the only woman who took part in the freedom Ride with her hesband.
“Non-violence is at the core of what (the Singletons) did,” said Joann Muneta, chair of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force. “They had so much courage — to face (someone) who is armed and ready to beat you.”
The annual Rosa Parks award and Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest awards were given out Saturday.
After the holiday on Monday through the Idaho Human Rights Day, the UI Office of Multicultural Affairs showed a film Tuesday, of the original “I Have a Dream” speech. The 25-minute film shared Martin Luther King Jr.’s words that were said on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
To conclude events, guest speaker Jeff Guillory will present his speech “From Civil Rights to Cultural Competence: What Have We Learned?” at 5 p.m. today in the Idaho Commons’ Summit Rooms. Guillory is the director of diversity education at Washington State University.
“Not only his experiences, but his connection to the university makes him (a great speaker),” said Leah Rosenkranz, AmeriCorps PACE Program Coordinator.
Rosenkranz chose to bring Guillory to speak and said he grew up in the segregated South and faced discrimination issues in the Northwest area too. He is married to a woman from a local tribe, is a UI alumna and played on the UI football team.
“He wants to not just preach (about diversity issues), but help people too,” Rosenkranz said.
The week’s events were sponsored by the UI Office of Multicultural Affairs, AmeriCorps, the Latah County Human Rights Task Force and UI Women’s Center.
“We’re isolated here,” Muneta said. “(Moscow) is a white, privileged community and it is important to bring parts of our country and our history here (to share their stories).”