On Monday, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual MLK Oratory Contest.
WFDD’s David Ford spoke with three students who shared their reflections on the slain civil rights leader and his
impact on their lives today.
"Reading about his works and his life story have been absolutely groundbreaking for me, especially to realize that he was actually quite young when he started his journey for civic engagement. And you know, that really does inform my life and my experience. I mean, I myself am in my early 20s. And so I think to myself, like now is the time. Now is the time to be civically engaged. Now is the time to be socially aware. Now is the time to stand up and fight for something. And so his legacy empowers me to be engaged in my community and to instill that in the other students that are my peers." — Kieren Nite
"Dr Martin Luther King and his legacy has influenced me in my life by showing me that as a woman, we still have rights to activate, and that we can make a change. And then he shows that we have the power, so no matter of your race, gender or creed, you have the ability to accomplish whatever you set your mind out for. So that's me going through college, going to get my master's, knowing that these are not always women-dominated fields, but still fields that I can put myself in and excel in as well." — Ariyanna Clark-Drew.
"The impact of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, in my life has largely been about his position of love in the fight for civil rights and the importance of love in that fight. And that has largely, largely informed my worldview, and that informs how I go about everyday life. You have to go about life with an outlook on the world of love, because you can't look on the world with a lot of hate. I think that's one of the biggest impacts that he's had on my life, is that willingness to extend yourself for one’s own or another’s spiritual growth." — Zayveon Davis