Brothers of Gamma Iota Celebrates MLK Day with Walk
On January 20, 2014 at 8am at the Neal Jones Auditorium located on USC Sumter campus, Brothers of the Gamma Iota and Epsilon Lambda Chapters of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. participated in the 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Walk in remembrance of his legacy.
The event began with hundreds of participants signing in at the registration table in the auditorium prior to beginning the 3.0 mile walk. Both graduate and undergraduate brothers participated in the walk not only to represent the Fraternity but also to remember the sacrifices of Dr. King and those who paved the way for equality among all individuals.
Both old and young of all ethnic backgrounds came together as they walked side by side in unity to remember the struggle. As a brisk cool wind swirled throughout the community, participants finished the walk to the loud and thunderous voice of the late Dr. King being played from a car’s speakers.
“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation …”, shouted Dr. King. “… I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream…”.
Some participants began clapping and shouting as if they had achieved some sort of victory while others stopped and stared off into the distance and listened to the remainder of the speech. It was apparent that the event and speech being played from the speaker system reminded some participants of a historic time in their lives.
Although there are several brothers in Gamma Iota who did not have to endure the struggle of that era, there are brothers of that era who continue to build bridges with the intent of keeping “The Dream” alive. The Dream Walk is sponsored by USC Sumter, Morris College and Central Carolina Technical College and is free and open to the public.