Students are led in chants as they walk around campus for the 11th annual MLK Love Walk. Photo by Mason Buysse.
LAUREN FISCHER | STAFF REPORTER | lrfischer@butler.edu
For 11 years, students have gathered on MLK Day to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Just as MLK walked to support civil rights during the 1960s, students peacefully protested for the equality he once preached.
Butler’s MLK Love Walk was first held in 2017, run by Bust the B.U.B.B.L.E., a student advocacy group. The organization is no longer involved in the planning of this event, but its current organizers continue to encompass the values of Bust the B.U.B.B.L.E. Over a decade later, the Black Student Union (BSU), the Diversity Program Council (DPC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) collaborated on the event in hopes to continue to celebrate MLK’s legacy as a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement.
This year’s event focused on two concepts: unity and using one’s voice.
Giavanna Yowell, a senior biochemistry and neuroscience double major and DPC president, said that this collaboration made this year’s walk stand out, as the organizations sought to serve all students, regardless of race or club involvement.
“Our ability to come together…and have these spaces for people to say what they need to say, and be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves is really important,” Yowell said. “[By providing] those intentional spaces, [students can] make the difference that they want to make in this world.”
As in previous years, there was also an indoor option for those who were not comfortable going outside in the cold or walking. This year, they discussed sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement and MLK’s role in those protests.
Students from surrounding schools, such as IU Indianapolis and Marian University, also attended.
Earlier this month, IU Indianapolis announced that its 57th annual MLK dinner was cancelled. Butler’s BSU chapter invited IU Indianapolis students to the Love Walk, hoping to provide a space to advocate for equality amid political pressures influencing institutional actions.
“Events like [the Love Walk] are crucial in times [like these], and all the time,” Yowell said. “Everyone deserves to feel heard, and everyone deserves to [continue] these traditions that we’ve had for so long.”
Jayla Myers, a sophomore biology and Spanish double major, serves as vice president of programming for BSU and treasurer for NAACP. She attended this event for the first time this year and said that she was passionate about the event as she felt it provided a necessary reminder of all that MLK did.
“[Students] know the basics, but we want to go a little bit deeper,” Myers said.
The event began in the Reilly Room, where attendees gathered to make posters and hear from a speaker. The posters showcased quotes, drawings and personal grievances, making each poster personal to the student. This year, Dr. Corey Reed spoke about MLK’s legacy, specifically highlighting this year’s theme of exercising one’s voice. He encouraged students to persevere when times get hard and meet violence with nonviolence.
“For those of us subject to oppression, agony is guaranteed, but what we do with that agony is up to us,” Reed said.
Reed recounted stories of King’s experiences, acknowledging that the fight may be long and hard, but it remains worth it.
“Do it scared, because he did,” Reed said. “King persevered through terror. That does not mean he didn’t almost give up multiple times.”
Students then bundled up to go outside, despite freezing temperatures and grueling winds. During the walk, students followed a route around campus as BSU members led the group in chants to protest for equality.
Edyn Curry, a junior psychology and biology double major and BSU co-president, shared that a special part of this event is its emphasis on unity amongst all students.
“It’s cool to see students who [might be] timid or shy, come out of their shell and get together and use their voices,” Curry said. “It gives students from different backgrounds a chance to come together, peacefully protest and join the fight, because that’s how things get done.”
The Love Walk has been held for many years, but in times of constant uncertainty, it serves as a reminder of how MLK challenged the norms and fought for a brighter future.
“We need to be united, and we need to know how to speak up and use our voices, especially for Gen-Z students, because we are the next generation,” Curry said. “We are going to be the people in offices … doctors, lawyers [and the people] in the room, so we need to start now and make our place to be in the room, so that we can continue that legacy.”
