Viewpoints Protest at symposium evoked King's true spirit Attendees of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture in Hill Auditorium Monday morning were witness to a presentation rich in the ideals of King and inspiring in our dedication to fulfilling his vision. Unfortunately, it only lasted about 5 minutes, and it did not involve the headlining speaker. As Dr. Henry Gates was approaching the podium to begin his address, nearly a dozen students calmly stepped in and took control of the microphone. There, they articulated a poignant message to the University's guests, faculty and "especially students." The student speaker outlined significant instances of inequality in the workings of the University in order to illustrate the deeply rooted "borders and barriers" still plaguing our everyday lives. She criticized the University's pride in organizing several days worth of passive symposium events while it falters in attempts to actually engage such principles throughout the rest of year. Then, having laid out their statement, the students quietly and respectfully yielded the podium back to the scheduled program and exited the auditorium. No disruptive chanting, no physical obstruction to the planned events, no excessive flagrance; just a simple yet powerful statement voiced to a listening crowd. King would have been proud. Despite being inspired by their presentation, I was initially troubled with the fact that they walked out on Gates without listening to what he had come here to say. Sadly though, I soon found myself wishing to have joined them in the admirable protest. In his lecture, Gates unfortunately embodied the objections made by the students and painfully failed to offer any sort of meaningful reflection so desperately called for by this occasion. Sure, I laughed at some humorous accounts of his earlier academic exploits and even got some insight into his outstanding CD-rom, Encarta Africana, and the extensive history behind it. I did not, however, hear Martin Luther King's name beyond a few mentions, and even less did I hear about his vision and what it means for us today. Now, I am not attacking the notability of the issues addressed, nor am I trying to mock the intellectual integrity or oratorical deftness of the highly respectable Gates. However, I am saying that he should be ashamed to have presented those words under the title "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture" on this holiday. This is a day set aside to celebrate the driving spirit King injected into the Civil Rights Movement and to revitalize our commitment to making continuing strides in the name of equality. Gates's speech is a discouraging reflection of the dangerous comfort seducing much of our nation within these topics. The true nature of this memorial to King lies not in any warm, fuzzy nostalgia of past advances, but rather in sounding a call to earnest action in facing the challenges here today. I extend great thanks to the students who faced up to the issues at hand and saved the event from being a complete disappointment. They reminded us that we cannot disregard the distance we have yet to achieve and at the same time, they effectively demonstrated that ample virtue and courage do exist for us to truly realize the dream. - This viewpoint was written by LSA senior Aaron Boyle. Originally on page 4A in the 1-19-2000 issue of the Daily.