On Monday, January 16, the Berrien county community rallied to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy under the titular “Breaking the Silence” virtual Zoom event and WVBH 105.3 FM radio broadcast, hosted by Andrews student Nicholas (Nick) Gunn (freshman, social studies for secondary education). The event focused on celebrating the legacy of Dr. King and his compelling, inspirational messages that continue to hold significance in the present day.
High school students from Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and the surrounding Berrien County area had the opportunity to select notable video clips from Dr. King’s arsenal of thought-provoking, impactful speeches and discuss a favorite moment in a speech that spoke to them personally. Community leaders including Benton Harbor mayor Marcus Muhammed and Andrews University’s Michael Nixon joined the students in their efforts to honor the esteemed work and legacy of Dr. King.
The idea for the event materialized last year in a world rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nick sought to foster positive change and overcome the obstacles of the pandemic by bringing together like-minded individuals in a virtual setting. According to Nick, “We came up with the idea of creating a Zoom call that would be broadcast on the radio. At the time I was a high school student and wanted to connect more with students across Southwest Michigan. I took this as an opportunity not just to connect but to share our thoughts on MLK.”
Nick firmly emphasized the importance of involving young students, stating, “I go to these kids' schools and meet with them all individually and present awards and gifts to them! I’ve now formed bonds with those students and they are all developing into young leaders.”
The 2nd Annual MLK celebration kicked off smoothly, starting promptly at 1 pm. Opening remarks were given by Nick and the mayor of Benton Harbor, and clips of Dr. King’s influential speeches began to play. However, a slight disturbance began to develop that threatened the vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere of the event.
At around 1:20 PM, an anonymous Zoom participant sent out a message full of derogatory expletives to all the meeting participants. Unwilling to stop there, the individual gained access to the presenter’s screens and began defiling the visual presentation and videos of Dr. King with inappropriate imagery. The meeting was forced to a grinding halt due to this disruption and was temporarily shut down.
When asked about what had happened, event participant Daseph Edwards (graduate, Master of Arts in Teaching) replied, “I was disturbed and offended. Disturbed because of the lewd nature of the vandalism on such a serious and important subject.And offended because one of my greatest civil rights heroes was vandalized and disrespected.”
Despite the hiccup, Nick was able to circumnavigate and finish the event on a high note, stating “We started back up again but only allowed certain people in that we knew by name….Next year we will work on a way to better secure the call. But I still think this event was a success and everyone that participated informed me that they all had a great time and would like to join me in more community engagements!”
Although the disruption temporarily interrupted the flow of the event, the 2nd Annual MLK Celebration proved to be a crucial success that honored Dr. King’s legacy through the voices of young people. It brought together key leaders in the Andrews and Berrien County communities who were committed to spotlighting Dr. King’s fight for systematic change and relentless pursuit of racial justice and equality.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.