Langston University

By Christina Gray, Media Relations Specialist

LANGSTON, Okla. –The Langston University community and guests from across Oklahoma gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Celebration Dinner on January 29, 2018. The night was marked by the powerful keynote presented by world-renowned hip-hop artist, Lana Michelle Moorer, more commonly known as MC Lyte. “Time to get them positive thoughts, up into action, up into action,” Moorer rapped during her keynote speech opener. Her speech challenged the students to live purposefully through growth and leadership. She reflected back and stated that even as a child she knew she wanted to use her influence to inspire others – and on Monday night she did just that.

She advised to never to stop learning and ‘surround yourself with people who believe in you and encourage you to grow.’ She expressed how important it is for young men to become leaders. “A strong man stands up for himself, but a stronger man stands up for others.”

She brought the community to their feet after her thought-provoking speech that themed around the importance of choosing your words wisely and think positively. She charged those in attendance to “use your voice to encourage.” She stressed that “your thoughts become your words, which will always become your reality.”

Moni Otubaga and Eugene Buckman, Jr., were the student hosts for the evening. Students prepared various tribute performances presented throughout the evening, in celebration of a man who forever changed the course of history. The program opened with a powerful performance of the immortal spoken word of Dr. King presented by Langston University student, Berthaddius Bailey. After which a member of the Langston University choir, RonRico Brown performed a beautiful rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

This gathering also recognizes faculty and staff who have contributed to the community selflessly. The recipients of the 2018 MLK Spirit Award were Dr. Sonia Brown, Mr. Pritchard Moncriffe, and Ms. Chellsy Carter.

Langston University (LU) is a public historically black college enrolling a close-knit community of under 3,000 students. Langston University is recognized as a top institution of higher learning for affordability by afforableschools.net and bestvalueschools.com. Founded in 1897, LU is located in rural Logan County just 10 miles east of Guthrie and 42 miles from Oklahoma City. Langston offers more than 40 associate, bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs across six academic colleges. Visit us online at http://www.langston.edu