Aurora dinner honors King's message

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech has inspired millions.

With that in mind, Aurora University's Black Student Association is sponsoring a public dinner Saturday in the civil rights activist's honor that celebrates the words that propelled the nation's civil rights movement.

This year's event, called “Celebrating the Dream,” will be from 4 to 6 p.m. in the university banquet hall in Alumni Hall, 1410 Marseillaise Place, Aurora.

“All the students come together to share the importance and the significance of what he fought for and how it affects them on a daily basis,” said Giselle Betts, a communications instructor and the Black Student Association's adviser.

The association has sponsored an MLK Day luncheon yearly since at least the late 1990s, Betts said.

Dance group Divine Purpose will perform, as well as a jazz band and students will read poetry and other speeches centered around the theme of dreams and how to make them realities.

“It's a simple event that kind of describes Martin Luther King from a spiritual, political viewpoint,” said Shammrie Brown, a senior in social work and president of the Black Student Association.

In his own speech, Brown said he will discuss the simple things — like scholarships or grants to purchase books — that help make students' dreams of completing their education a reality. He said the event is part of the organization's goal to re-establish relationships, with the community, faculty, staff and other students.

“It's our way to build community, to get people to come together, talk, feel comfortable and bond through Aurora University and Martin Luther King Day,” Brown said.

The dinner is free, but members of the public interested in attending must RSVP to (630) 844-5486 or rrutkovs@aurora.edu by Friday.

While it will be held in an educational setting, the dinner will not be a history lesson about the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Betts said many students don't need a history lesson because their families have passed on the importance and the influence of King's actions.

“The dinner allows the students to share the history, their understanding of it, their views of its significance,” Betts said. “They understand the history of the struggle for equality.”