March to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Students will march in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. with burning candles in memory of the civil rights leader.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. is in charge of putting on the event, which will take place Monday evening.
Students will have a chance to meet up with one another in Thomas Hall at 5:30 p.m.
They will march together with their candles over to the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union to participate in a ceremony that will start at about 6 p.m. The ceremony is going to be held in the Grand Ballroom.
The ceremony will include Cordell Ingram from Decatur and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha as the keynotes speaker.
Cordell is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and the principal of Roberts Charter School.
“We are also going to honor the first ever member of Alpha Phi Alpha,” said Quentin Frazier, member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
William Ridgeway was the first member at Eastern’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.
Since this is the chapter’s 40th year on campus, several awards will also be offered at the ceremony.
These awards will include the Alpha Image Award, the Annie B. Singleton Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award.
“The Annie B. Singleton award is for a female student involved in community service on campus,” said Gary White, vice president for Alpha Phi Alpha. “The Alpha Image Award is for faculty or staff that are involved on campus and the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award Essay Contest will be awarded to a student from Charleston High School.”
The winners of these awards do not have to be involved in Alpha Phi Alpha, though.
“These people will be recognized and given a plaque,” Frazier said.
Live entertainment will also be provided at the event.
Eastern’s Unity Gospel Choir will provide the entertainment, as well as other Eastern students.
White said the 40th anniversary is special because Alpha Phi Alpha was the “first black Greek on campus.”
The ceremony will take place until 7:30 p.m., Frazier said.
“Then, there will be a reception for faculty,” Frazier said. “It should be a great turnout and hopefully the weather does not affect the turnout.”
Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu.
March to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Bruce Ratliff, finance major, leads the Unit Gospel Choir during the celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. birthday on January 21, 2008. The event, Evolution of a Dream, was organized by Alpha Phi Alpha and began with a vigil march in remembrance of the
