Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. hosted a silent march at 9:30 a.m. Monday and celebratory brunch at 10 a.m. in Baker University Center.
A silent march has been held annually on Martin Luther King Jr. Day since 1969 to commemorate King’s birthday. This is the 56th silent march at Ohio University.
“It's the opportunity where Ohio University, as an institution of higher education, and the City of Athens really collaborate together,” Terry Frazier, this year's keynote speaker and OU alumnus, said. “I'm proud to say that's one of the things that the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha were able to help create.”
OU’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. started doing the brunch in 2001, making this the 25th year of having the brunch. Frazier said before he graduated in 2000, he left notes for the framework and ideas to create the brunch.
“It's almost a full circle moment 25 years later after the idea came to my head,” Frazier said. “I'm able to keynote it, and it's always an honor to come back to Athens. I love being a bobcat and being able to give my talent to people.”
The silent march was originally supposed to be outside; however, it was moved inside due to the winter weather.
“I understand the concerns for safety,” Aaron Reynolds, an executive member of the National Society of Black Engineers, said. “It's very cold, and I had to clean my car off this morning. That was a little bit of a struggle. But I kind of wish that we would go outside.”
Christopher Lawerence-White, another executive member of the National Society of Black Engineers, said having the march inside definitely allowed for accommodations with accessibility issues.
“I think there is some due diligence on our part to kind of adhere to the proper standard of what a march is,” Lawrence-White said. “Even just adhering to that by a little, I think it could be good on what diversity we have.”
The march began with participants lining up at the atrium on the fourth floor of Baker University Center. Then the line began silently down the escalators to the West 82 dining area. Everyone then lined up against the walls as Kenneth Johnson, the vice president and secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha led the group in prayer.
“I decided to lead a prayer just because I felt like it was needed at this time of the year,” Johnson said. “It is for some people a joyous time while for other people it's more so not a joyous time. I feel like just one thing that we can all do as a community in Athens is just come together, and I feel like the best way to do that was just giving a quick, simple prayer.”
After the prayer, Laila Christian, a sophomore pursuing musical theatre, sang a poem called “Lift Every Voice,” which is considered by the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People as “The Black National Anthem.”
Then Johnson followed with a rendition of “We Shall Overcome,” a popular gospel from the Civil Rights Movement. Johnson said he did not originally plan to sing this but felt it would be the proper thing to do after Christain’s solo.
“Just as African American people, we have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations over the years, and it was just very important that even though there's still a lot of work to be done in our communities, we have overcome a lot,” Johnson said. “We have gone through a lot. We have triumphed. And that's just something that just touched me at the moment.”
The march then traced its steps back to the fourth floor, and the celebratory lunch began.
“We created the brunch to think about breaking bread,” Frazier said. “There's no better place to build relationships than breaking bread and having a meal with somebody sitting down. Think about your family. What's the best time you have with your family? When you're eating.”
During this time, participants enjoyed a wide variety of brunch foods while listening to Otis Crockron & Company, a local Athens band, and the four speakers.
The first speaker was Russell Morrow, the interim vice president of diversity and inclusion, who welcomed everyone in attendance and spoke on the importance of MLK Day.
Donald Leo, the executive vice president and provost of OU, spoke next about the importance of King’s teachings and their impact on OU.
Following that, Jocelyn Brown, who is affiliated with Mount Zion Black Cultural Center and an assistant professor for African American Studies, discussed her reason for teaching, the history behind Mount Zion and a current research project she is having her students do.
The final speaker was Frazier who gave a speech about how to heal a divided nation. Frazier said his two main points in the speech were how we need to heal ourselves in love and education.
“If we can love ourselves and love others and then educate ourselves and educate others, that's how we first steps in healing a divided nation,” Frazier said.
Frazier said he is happy to see OU and students continue to honor the legacy of King.
“I think the march itself is important for the symbolism of it all,” Frazier said. “But it's really about taking the time to reflect and understand why we march and what we need to continue to march for.”
