Latest news with #PeaceandJusticeMarch
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At AU's 60th Peace and Justice March, participants in first event reflect on civil rights progress
ANDERSON — In April 1968, Carl Kramer was a senior at Anderson University when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. He remembers comforting a fellow student who was sobbing with grief after she heard the news. 'She said, 'Dr. King has been shot,'' Kramer recalled. 'I just took my arms around her and she cried on my shoulder. I had never felt so helpless in my life. 'It was…a reflection of what was going on across the country,' he continued. 'Now we are finding ourselves in the same situation where people are trying to deprive people of their voting rights.' Kramer recounted his experience after participating in the university's Peace and Justice March Tuesday morning. The one-mile walk from Reardon Auditorum to Dickmann Town Center took place 60 years after Kramer, Jacquie Sellers-Womack and Connie Hippensteel participated in the inaugural march in 1965. The trio was recognized during a brief ceremony at the conclusion of the march. Kramer said that first march had a significant impact on him. 'It was a very meaningful experience, I think, for me and the other students and probably the faculty and staff because of the tension that existed in the country,' Kramer said. 'For a lot of us, it was a real commitment. I think it was really a pivotal moment in my life. Looking back, it set me on the trajectory that I have as far as advocating for racial justice.' Tuesday's march was held at the same time chapel would normally be held, so students would be able to attend and not have to miss class. Organizers estimated more than 100 people participated. Martin said he was thankful for that number. 'I thought it was a great turnout,' Martin said. 'It was an optional thing for students to come to. We did it during the time we knew they would be available to come, but for that many students and faculty and staff to participate, it was just a great turnout.' Martin said he wanted his students to realize that the march looked and felt different 60 years ago. 'I was talking to some of my students, and I said, 'You know, 60 years ago when they did this, I don't think they were all smiling and having fun like we are right now,'' Martin said. 'There was a lot of tension back then. There were a lot of people not wanting them to do it from all different aspects.' Korey Rees, a senior at AU and the president of the Student Government Association, said the milestone anniversary of the march is significant. 'It makes the history of the Civil Rights Movement feel much more alive to me,' Rees said. 'Recognizing there are people in my community who, over the course of their lifetime, have seen the civil rights movement come to fruition and enact change in our culture, I think is really amazing. 'It serves as a good reminder to me that there are always important issues going on that are worth paying attention to and standing up for.' Antwone Whiteside, a senior at AU and the president of the Black Student Association, said the experience of participating inspired him. 'It felt amazing to participate in the march today to show appreciation for the ones who came before me,' Whiteside said. 'Seeing all the flags marching together was very impactful and inspiring for the next generation.' During the ceremony, Martin held an American flag that was hanging at the Capitol building when King was assassinated. The flag was donated to AU by an alumnus. Kramer said it is up to the current generation to move forward with obtaining justice. 'I hope people come away from this reinvigorated to carry on the work,' he said. 'There is so much going on today that is very similar to what we marched about 60 years ago. It is a warning that the battle for justice is never completely won and has to continue with this new generation to carry it on.'
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Anderson University to hold 60th Peace and Justice march
ANDERSON — Anderson University will rededicate its commitment to civil rights Tuesday by hosting the 60th anniversary Peace and Justice March. Sixty years ago this month, in support of civil rights marchers in Alabama, Anderson College conducted its first march. 'Some of the faculty, staff and students from Anderson College went down to Alabama to experience and learn about the march firsthand,' said Brian Martin, director of the Center for Intercultural Engagement at AU. 'When they came back, they spoke with the president and people on campus about AU doing a march to support the people doing a march down in Selma.' Tuesday's march will begin at 11 a.m., but Martin recommends that people arrive beforehand. Marchers will meet at 5th Street and College Avenue, in front of Reardon Auditorium. People will march with a police escort to the Dickmann Town Center in downtown Anderson for a ceremony before marching back to Reardon Auditorium. The Peace and Justice March is open to members of the public to participate, with no need to register. If someone is physically unable to march but would still like to participate, a shuttle bus will follow the marchers. Dr. Carl Kramer, an Anderson College alumnus, participated in the first local Peace and Justice March in 1965 and is expected to attend the 60th anniversary march Tuesday. Martin explained why the Peace and Justice March continues to be important. 'We have not done them all 60 years,' Martin said, 'but we restarted the march several years ago as a way to honor and show appreciation for the people who did the first march. We also do it as a way of thanking God for the progress that has happened over the last 60 years. 'We use it as a time to reaffirm our commitment to do what we can individually or corporately to be involved in making sure there is equality and justice for all people regardless of their race, ethnicity or nationality.' For some, the local march will rekindle memories of the original marches of 1965 in Alabama. On March 7, 1965, about 600 people gathered in Selma to march 50 miles to Montgomery to advocate for civil rights. Local and state law enforcement officers confronted the marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and used billy clubs and tear gas to drive them back across the bridge. That day became known as Bloody Sunday. Two weeks later, freedom marchers set out again from Selma. This time, they were protected by national guard troops and federal marshals. Their ranks swelled to 25,000 as they reached the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery.
