 “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve” was a resounding theme the morning of Monday, Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Day. Approximately 200 members of the Millsaps College and Tougaloo College communities convened on the Millsaps campus for a breakfast meeting of fellowship and commemoration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In his keynote speech, The Reverend Mr. Ross Olivier of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church related his experiences of fighting Apartheid in his native South Africa to the struggles King faced and the ideals he championed, both in America and all around the world. “Dr. King’s speeches and writings were banned in South Africa,” Olivier said. “You could go to jail for possessing his words because they were dangerous if you were an oppressor.”
 Olivier went on to contemplate what Dr. King would think of the state of the world today, from genocide in Africa to war in the Middle East to poverty in the United States. But, he said, “I think he would be encouraged by signs, at least, that the legacy of nonviolence has not been lost.”
Two other speakers at the event were Drew McDowell, president of the Millsaps Student Body Association, and Chase Gayden, president of the Student Government Association at Tougaloo. McDowell raised a challenge to his fellow students to follow in King’s footsteps, saying, “Although things are better than before, we have not come far enough.” Gayden praised the civil-rights leader for having “conquered an entire country without ever picking up a whip.” He added that “Genuine service to one’s community and society should never be constructed as an obligation.”
 Other speakers and presenters included Millsaps College Chaplain Lisa Garvin; Dr. Kristen Oertel, associate professor of history at Millsaps; Dr. Abdul Turay, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tougaloo; Sherryl Wilburn, director of multicultural affairs at Millsaps; Dr. Larry Johnson, chaplain and director of institutional research, assessment and planning at Tougaloo; and Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, the first Methodist female bishop in Mississippi.
Entertainment was interspersed between the speakers and the breakfast as well. The Tougaloo College Concert Choir Women’s Ensemble sang “Now, Behold the Lamb,” featuring soloist Phylicia Holmes, and “Brighter Day.” A group of students performed Bhangra (Indian dance), and Jessie Primer and Dr. Andrea Montgomery of Tougaloo presented an instrumental interlude. The Lambda Iota Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority offered a dedication poem to honor Coretta Scott King, and the whole crowd joined in to sing “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
 Dr. Beverly Hogan, president of Tougaloo College, and Dr. Frances Lucas, president of Millsaps College, gave closing remarks that reflected their pride in two female presidents continuing the special relationship between the colleges. “They used to gather the Millsaps and Tougaloo communities in fear,” said Lucas, and expressed her gratitude to be able now to have Tougaloo and Millsaps meet together without fear.
The celebration of Dr. King by the two colleges will continue with a day of service (because of inclement weather, a new date will be announced) and an evening vigil at Tougaloo College.
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