OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
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Continuing The
DAILYBAROMETER
FRIDAY JANUARY 23, 2015 VOL. CXVII, NO. 69
@DAILYBARO, @BAROSPORTS
Legacy
OSU reflects on 2 weeks of celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., dream he held dear By Abigail Erickson THE DAILY BAROMETER
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ore than 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech, envisioning a world of equality and unity. Oregon State University not only honored his legacy through a two-week-long celebration, but promoted the idea that even the most ordinary people can make extraordinary changes. Since Jan. 12, the Office of Equity and Inclusion at Oregon State University has commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and MLK’s legacy with a two-weeklong celebration. Each day, the series held events featuring guest speakers, slam poetry, essay readings, film screenings, discussion panels and more. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the community gathered for the 33rd Annual Peace Breakfast, which featured a keynote speaker and presenters for the Phyllis S. Lee and Frances Dancy Hooks awards. With the festivities drawing to a close, OSU students and staff reflected on some of the high points of the celebration and how far the university has come — and still has to go — on matters of equality. “I’m very thankful that the university is willing to do this (celebration) and is putting so much of an investment into these cultural centers,” said Crystal Boson, a professor in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Boson also said that while the university has made a great deal of progress on matters of equality, there are still difficult discussions to have. “I see a lot of value in conversation,” Boson said. “Not just discussion, but also bringing in the right people to have those hard conversations and share See MLK | page 3
Activist visits OSU, discusses making social justice reality Social justice activist emphasizes accountability, organizing social change
allies can be supportive in a post-Ferguson era. As a continuation of Martin Luther King, Jr. events on campus, student and community leaders hosted a luncheon with guest speaker By Jasmin Vogel Imarisha. The discussion centered around THE DAILY BAROMETER issues of social justice and what it means to be Social justice activist Walidah Imarisha visited a positive ally. “The goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be with Oregon State University students Thursday at the Native American Longhouse to discuss accountable,” Imarisha said. “I don’t think you how change can be implemented on campus and can create safe spaces. I think you can create n
accountable spaces where folks have expectations of each other, where they come with their best intention, and if they mess up, they are willing to be accountable; they take responsibility, they make amends, then they work to change their behavior in the future. That’s really all we can ask of anyone. That’s the idea behind transformative justice.” Imarisha is a nationally recognized professor, author, spoken word poet and activist.
Column: Beaver Nation needs to speak up and shout out at games Sports, page 5
She has spent six years organizing programs throughout Oregon with the Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project on topics of black history, the history of hip-hop and exploring alternatives to imprisonment. “I liked how she talked about how impossibly unrealistic social change is, and if this is the reality we are living in, we are going to break it,” said See JUSTICE | page 3
Column: Student criticisms of Gov. Kitzhaber’s visit Forum, page 7