On Friday, Feb. 25, students, staff and community members gathered on Stafford Commons behind Talley Student Union for the first annual March like Martin event. The crowd brought handmade signs, banners and flags, which they displayed and waved as they marched past Tucker/Owen Beach to Harris Field outside Witherspoon Student Center where Rev. Primas Paige gave a keynote address.
The march was planned by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) alongside the Eta Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., NC State’s oldest Black fraternity. The march commemorated Martin Luther King Jr’s practice of peaceful protest and served to close out NC State’s Black History Month events with a reminder that change is made through continuous action.
As the crowd of over 100 people marched through campus, they chanted “No justice, no peace,” “Power to the people” and “Money for schools, not police.”
Alvin Mutongi, a fourth-year studying civil engineering and member of Eta Omicron helped to plan the march, and spoke on Harris Field about the strength of collective protest.
“Today, March like Martin has shown the entire NC State community, the state of North Carolina, and the world that we are stronger together,” Mutongi said. “And when we stand together, we can fight alongside each other for the liberation of all people, and our liberation is worth marching for. These sentiments are rooted in Dr. King’s legacy, and we stand here today as products of his radical dream.”
Mutongi, Cameron Williams, a fourth-year studying chemical engineering and current president of Eta Omicron, and AACC program coordinator Isaiah Lucas gave brief statements on the importance of the event and of Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy before introducing the keynote speaker Rev. Primas Paige.
Rev. Paige expanded the AACC’s 2022 Black History Month theme “The Freedom to Dream” into a crash course: “Managing a Massive Dream (MMD 101).” Rev. Paige reminded attendees that just like lectures mean nothing without the lab, intention means nothing without action. His speech was a lesson in initiative, humility and motivation, inspiring the importance of mentorship, collaboration and service along the road to realizing your dream.
“Though we desire to dream and march like Martin, though we desire to have hope like Obama and the strength of Vice President Harris, the reality is that it’s our time,” Paige said. “Great-grandma has passed away. Granddaddy has retired. Mama and Daddy are at work and they are tired. Dr. Witherspoon, who struggled to be the first Black man to graduate with a doctorate at this university, struggled to see his dream. But the reality is, now it’s your time.”
By the close of his address Rev. Paige had inspired the entire crowd to join him in proclamations of “I’m not perfect” and “It’s my time.”
The crowd that ended outside Witherspoon was composed largely of NC State students along with several community members and students from nearby Shaw University who came to support the march.
“I feel it’s important to have a voice on a campus where we are not the predominant race,” said Carrington Mack, a third-year studying sociology at NC State. “It’s very important for us to be out here today.”
C.J. Walker, a fourth-year studying industrial engineering, was happy to be back in a collective space, creating community.
“I think it’s a great way to wrap up Black History Month and bring everyone together,” Walker said. “Especially after the pandemic, now that we’re finally able to be together we can be around each other to celebrate what it means to be Black and to be there for the students on the campus.”
Friday afternoon’s march to wrap up the last full week of Black History Month left an atmosphere not only of dreams, but of motivation and dedication to making those dreams actionable.
