Three area colleges came together to celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 17.
Augusta University (AU), Augusta Technical College (ATC) and Paine College joined forces on Friday afternoon at AU’s Maxwell Theatre for the annual tri-college event.
Serving as keynote speaker was The Reverend Dr. Charles E. Goodman Jr. of Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta.
“It is good for us to be here, to celebrate and to share…this indeed is a wonderful privilege as we come to celebrate a man who stood for so much more than his life could encompass,” said Goodman.
Although open to the public, the event also served as a field trip for several local middle schools.
Arquavious Casey, a student attending with Hornsby Middle School, said that he believes it’s important for young people to attend these kinds of events “so they can understand the history of Martin Luther King Jr. [and] celebrate him.”
Celebrating MLK’s memory through performance
Musical performances by the Augusta University choral groups and Paine College’s Concert Choir set the tone for the event with a myriad of soulful and hymn-like songs, receiving a standing ovation for their rendition of the African-American spiritual “Soon Ah Will Be Done” written by William Dawson.
The audience reacted similarly following a moving performance of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” by the Creative Impressions choral group.
The performances reached beyond musical, with the Jessye Norman School of the Arts doing a brief spoken word performance on the ongoing fight for equality.
Jaden Scott of AU’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity also delivered a speech at the event.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated on Monday, Jan. 20.
