Riding on last year’s theme of building bridges, this year’s keynote celebration theme was “A Call to Consciousness,” which focused on the WSU community and its mission.
The event took place during MLK week on Jan. 22 and was open for anyone to attend.
It opened with student performances; the first was by God’s Harmony, a WSU student gospel group. The second was a reading of an original poem by Hope Nobuko Kaleonanionaona O Kaho’ Dela Cruz, a sophomore and the 2025 Campus Civic Poet.
The main keynote speaker of the event was Paula Price. She worked at WSU for 19 years before changing schools. While at WSU, she worked on advancing equity.
In her speech, she read excerpts from King’s book, “Where Do We Go from Here,” and talked about land-grant universities, such as WSU, and what they should be doing for their community.
“It is an opportunity for us to think beyond the ‘I have a dream’ speech,” Price said. “(As land grant schools), we have a lot of his vision baked into things. But we have to really work hard to make it a reality. It can’t just be words that are on paper. What are we really doing to make sure that all of our students feel like they belong and to ensure that we continue to have access to this great university and we don’t leave people behind.”
Chair of the MLK committee and MC of the celebration, Trymaine Gaither, said that he felt the event went smoothly and hoped that people felt seen.
“Events like this are a rare moment for attendees to not just attend a program, but a moment to be seen culturally, spiritually and intellectually,” Gaither said. “That sense of visibility is protective. It can increase potential engagement and trust. It’s important for us all collectively to pause. To pause at the same time, in the same room and to remember and recommit.”
Lucia Nogueva, a freshman and elementary education major, attended the event. She said it was nice to hear about the topics addressed and to be reminded of King’s vision.
“No matter what we are, we’re all the same,” Nogueva said. “Events like this keep people informed and are a way to socialize more with each other and talk about things we don’t really talk about.”
The annual event brought the WSU community together to reflect on its promise to make the campus a safe place for everyone.
