Debut MLK event at Lane College, awards ceremony honors community members

Lane College hosted its first brunch and awards ceremony on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Kirkendoll Student Center.

The event commenced with Ms. Lane College Carmen Wilson singing John Legend’s “Glory,” followed by opening remarks from Vice President of Student Affairs Daryll McGee. It continued with a “Blessing of the Meal” prayer led by Lane College Chaplain Reverend Freeman McKindra and the reading of Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too” by Mr. Lane College Corrion Davis prior to the announcement of honorees.

“This Drum Major celebration is the first of what I hope to be many, many more,” McGee said. “This is a program that I think the whole city of Jackson should be celebrating. We need to embrace, we need to remember, and we need to recognize the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King.”

Award ceremony honors service

Lane awarded four Jacksonians the Drum Major Award not only for their work at the college but in the community as a whole. The event showcased Wendellyn Trice Martin, Mal Matthews, Kandace Ayanna Prather, and Corrion Davis as recipients of the honor.

Derived from King's 1968 sermon at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, the award obtains its name from his quote, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.”

The overwhelming theme expressed by each of the award recipients at the inaugural ceremony: gratitude.

Native Jacksonian, honoree Mal Matthews, who served for 23 years in the Tennessee Army National Guard, is the President of the Jackson-Madison County Education Association, and currently teaches 6th graders at North Parkway Middle School in science and social studies.

“I’m very excited and very thankful and honored that they chose me because there are so many people that work in the community that could be receiving an award like this,” Matthews said. “I just want to continue to do what I’m doing and continue to do positive by the community and touch on the lives as a school teacher.”

Vice President of Lane College’s Student Government Association Kandace Prather was also a recipient of the award, noting that she does her best “to represent God, my family, my friends and my school with the honor they rightfully deserve.” She’s originally from Roberta, Georgia and has been a Lane student since the fall of 2020.

“This award means everything to me,” Prather said. “Coming to Lane College has given me the opportunity to be more than what I thought myself was, so having this award is a big testament to who I’m trying to become as a Black woman.”

Keynote speaker addresses pertinent issues

Area Coordinator of Housing & Residence Life Javonte Mahone introduced the event’s keynote speaker Wisdom Cole.

As the National Director of the NAACP’s Youth & College Division, he has the responsibility of encouraging the fight for civil rights across over 700 colleges, high schools and youth councils. According to Cole, he has “worked on campaigns around the cancellation of student debt, removing police from schools, as well as increasing voter access for young Black people.”

During the question and answer opportunity following Cole’s speech, the discussion of police officers and their role in schools led to the inquiring of how such sentiments parallel with the tragedy of school shootings. Cole noted that “a badge is not a shield from accountability.”

“We’re not just thinking about for today and for tomorrow, we’re thinking about for generations to come,” Cole said. “What does it mean for Black students who choose here, Lane College, to feel safe not just for the next couple of years but for a lifetime at Lane College.”

Honoree Kandance Prather asked Cole how young people like themselves can better understand “the difference between advocacy for good, and advocacy for violence because a lot of us are angry.” She noted that the death of Trayvon Martin occurred when most of the students were children and how advocacy appears strongest when “someone who looks like us, dies.”

“A lot of us are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Cole responded. “All these instances of violence in our community, something has to change. And the sad part about it, now in the face of Black people, is that there will be another shooting. There will be another Black person murdered by police, and that’s just a fact at this point in time.”

Cole noted that in order to harness anger for good, the question must be asked of oneself “am I doing this work because I am angry at the oppressors, or am I doing this work because I love my people?”. He encouraged students to reframe their reality with the question he posed and to healthily advocate for the latter.

“The reason why I organize is because I love Black people, and I love being Black,” Cole said.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Lane College hosts first MLK Day event with an award ceremony