Clifton
Davis
electrifies Kulas crowd
at MLK celebration
Powerful
in speech, song and presence, "Renaissance Man" Clifton Davis (above,
left) electrified his Kulas Auditorium audience participating in JCU's
remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., last night. Accomplished
in numerous fields, including acting, composing, philanthropy, writing and
preaching, Davis gave the keynote address on King and U.S. civil rights.
"Freedom is a fruit that's flourishing," he declared. "The problem we face is that it's only partially ripened." And then he revealed a painful, personal testament to that fact: The week before, as he spoke at a breakfast prayer meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on the MLK national holiday, his son was being dragged from a house a few hours away and severely beaten by four white youths. As citizens we must not rest, Davis said, until "we have a system that will protect people of all colors from hate crimes... Doctor King paid for freedom with his life, and now that we've got it we ought to do something with it... Do you have a dream? Remember, that between yesterday's dream and tomorrow's regret is today's opportunity."
The program also included a welcome by Father Ed Glynn SJ, President; selections by the University Chamber Choir and Director James Kotora (lower right); an introduction and benediction by Rev. Dr. Val Lassiter (above, right), who gave Davis a copy of his new book, Martin Luther King: in the African-American Preaching Tradition; poetry readings by students Horace Johnson, Jessica Ina and Erica Thomas under the direction of Assistant English Professor Philip Metres III; and a presentation by Assistant Management Professor Sandra Washington. The program was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and hosted by Associate Director Shirley Seaton.