Elizabeth Alexander Convocation Speaker

An old man once said to Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, “ Lincoln’s birthday was traded for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I wish we had Lincoln’s birthday back.” At the Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative speech on Monday, Alexander reminded hundreds of students and faculty members what exactly Martin Luther King Jr. Day stood for.

Born in Harlem, New York in 1692, Alexander is the chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University where she received a B.A. Asked to speak at a Witt Series event at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, Alexander showed her remarkable speaking abilities as presented before when she spoke during the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Alexander told the crowd of students and faculty members that there was no “King Holiday” as she was growing up. She attended the march in Washington in 1963 as a baby. Now, when she thinks back to the day that her parents took her, she told the crowd, “ Neither of them could of known that day would lie in history.”

One of the main points Alexander was trying to get across to the Wittenberg Community strongly dealt with love. “Love makes us better and where is the love,” she said is always the question.

Alexander was not trying to put ideas into the audience members’ heads about what should be done or needs to be done, but rather was explaining the importance of the point King was trying to make during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. His legacy is on going and Alexander said that it asks us to do something and for us to commit to our country and community.

Reading her poems growing up, June Jordan was always an inspiration to Alexander. June stood for the same messages Martin Luther King Jr. believed in. Alexander read one of her favorite quotes from June: “all war leads you to is death, and all love leads you to is away from war.”

Standing up for what you believe in and what is right and wrong is all Alexander wanted the Wittenberg community to know. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day that will lie in history forever, and she is proud to be a part of it.

After receiving the well-deserved standing ovation, Elizabeth Alexander concluded her speech with her own poem, Praise Song for the Day. “All about us is noise,” she said again. Her speech will leave the Wittenberg community with a new positive outlook on MLK Day.

Classmate Interview

When first looking at Amber Reyes, most people wouldn’t know about the disease she battles. Vasculitis has been something she has had to worry about since her senior year of high school, but she doesn’t let it get in her way.

With her favorite color being black one would think she was a saddened human being. However, after getting to know Amber better, she’s a very passionate with music and her dreams.

Amber’s biggest aspiration in life would be to become a PR for a record label. Along with her favorite person in the world and one person she would marry if she could, Alex Gaskarth, she said.” I’m interested in men that are in bands and show more emotions than others.”

From the small hometown of Danville, Indiana, Amber would choose to be with the people she loves the most at all time, her family and her role model her little sister, Taylor. With being very family oriented, one thing she would change about her life however, is being more involved with her extended families lives. Though she loves her family so much, Amber said, “ I would not like to have a twin for the fact that I am too competitive and I wouldn’t like if people liked her better.”

Like Amber’s spontaneous personality, she would choose to be the flavor rocky road ice – cream for that fact it has many different parts to it. Amber’s never able to get too much Italian food and never able to say no chocolate being her biggest weakness. “ I crave chocolate a lot and when I see it I have to have it,” says Amber.

When Amber is down in the dumps or not feeling too well music is always something that can make her smile. She listens to her favorite song and her face just lights up. Her biggest achievement she feels she has conquered thus far is joining the band she is currently involved in. Always sticking with things until the end, she wishes she would have stuck with is dance, which is her biggest regret.

Amber loves to write and is a Communication major and Journalism minor, but dislikes any classes of biology or chemistry. “ I’m not too good with science and would stay away from those classes if I could, she says.

With all the wonderful dreams she has in store and being a very goal oriented person, which makes organization a great trait for her along with her ability to make people feel comforted in any situation.

This outstanding person makes her friends and family feel lucky to be a part of her life. “ I like to feel like a important part in people’s lives and I do my best to be the best person I can be”, she says.