CSC has march for King

About a dozen students and other community members encountered snow and low single-digit temperatures during the 13 block march from downtown Chadron to the Student Center. More than 100 gathered in the Student Center ballroom for the celebration, which featured the showing of two documentaries about the slain civil rights leader who gained prominence in the 1960s by leading nonviolent protests.

The featured speaker at Monday’s celebration was Jovan Mays, a CSC senior from Aurora, Colo., who is studying to be a history teacher. Mays, an athlete who has become known at CSC for his speaking, recited a five-minute poem he wrote about King and the civil rights movement titled “How?”

Mays said he likes writing about King because of the many different angles from which to approach the work and the many available resources that have been produced. He stressed that King should not be forgotten.

“Being a part of the African-American youth in this country and having our predecessors frown on us at times for us not being as active in this movement as we should is a distinct reminder of how we should be doing more,” he said. “You can’t forget that this guy, Martin Luther King, made the road nice for us so we can take these steps that we make. We’ve got to try to make steady, steady movement all the time so we don’t regress.”

Mays said Monday’s march was his 20th such event. Most of the marches have been in Denver, where thousands participate in a walk to the state capitol building each year. Last year, Mays spoke at a Drug Enforcement Agency event in Aurora with many of Denver’s black dignitaries.