By Jasmine N. Thomas
During her keynote address at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Jan. 15, Alisha L. Gordon challenged Rattlers to “be the light.”
Gordon, a scholar-activist, writer and public theologian began and ended her speech with an inspiring song, “Let Your Light Shine,” which she acknowledged as an expression of the Southern Black culture that inspired a movement.
“Be a light! Because you, like King was, and like I was, are called to be a voice of justice,” Gordon said.
The Spelman graduate expressed to the audience that they should be prepared for “the turn” in their lives that will call them to serve on behalf of others.
“Everything we go through prepares us for ‘the turn,’” Gordon said.
She explained that her “turn” was the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, who was killed in Ferguson, Mo., by a police officer. Gordon said she felt particularly called to action due to feeling like she wasn’t doing enough.
“When Michael Brown died, it was almost as if my little brother died. There was something different that happened,” Gordon said. “Simply being an English teacher or simply being a seminary student wasn’t enough.”
Gordon compared her story to the story of King and other everyday people who make the selfless decision to commit their lives to serving and helping others.
Daniela St. Hilaire, a fourth-year graphic design student at FAMU, who was inspired by Gordon’s words, said, she is now determined to “do more in my community.”
She said, “I haven’t reached my ‘turn’ yet, but I’m on the cusp of it. A seven-year-old was shot in my hometown, and that hit home for me because I have a son turning seven in a few days.”
President Elmira Mangum also addressed the audience, expressing her belief that service is a powerful attribute of the FAMU community.
“Service combined with our determination to succeed will guide us to new heights of excellence at Florida A&M University,” Mangum said.
One of the University’s new service initiatives is the FAMU Day of Service. It honors King and his life’s work through community service projects. The FAMU Day of Service took place Jan. 15-18 and engaged thousands of students, faculty, alumni, and friends across the nation.
Several individuals, groups, and organizations answered the call to serve and participated in the initiative. For instance, the FAMU baseball team visited Tallahassee’s Sabal Palm Elementary School and read to students; the Washington D.C. chapter of FAMU’s National Alumni Association (FAMU NAA) donated and distributed toiletries to the Community for Creative Non-violence organization; and other NAA members joined Day of Service honorary chair, actress, and producer T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh in reading to and mentoring area children.
Among the numerous service projects was also the Chicago Young Alumni Movement hosting Project Safe Haven to help with résumé critiquing, cover letter writing, and job readiness. Seminole County, Fla. alumni held a clothing drive for the Sanford Rescue Mission, and Rattlers in Charlotte, N.C., collected gently used clothes and canned goods for those in need.
Indeed, Rattlers everywhere are serving as lights to the world.