Plenty of young students were on hand Monday when the University of Akron hosted its Martin Luther King Jr. Activities Fair in the Student Union Ballroom.
Most of the fun was geared toward children, but people of all ages were there to participate. Education was stressed for young and old, and in keeping with King’s call for diversity, people of many colors participated.
Kyara Woodall, 11, said she learned that King “helped the blacks and he gave a big speech that helped all of them.” Her uncle, Charles Woodall, quickly added, “Actually, he wasn’t just for the people of color; he was for the betterment for all of humanity.
“It is a fact, that regardless of race or gender, one must know their past to appreciate the present and to prepare for the future. And the oldest among us are seeing the future come true based on his dream for equality.”
A few yards away, Nana Bagyina, 8, of Akron, was learning about dreams and writing hers on a cutout hand.
“My dream is to be successful in whatever I try,” said Nana, a third-grader at Resnik elementary.
TyResse Jones, 11, of Barber School, had to use his writing skills.
His assignment at the Akron Summit Community Action booth was to write down five ways he would help others. He promised to do his mathematics, help his brother, be a friend, help others get out of trouble and help with his room.
“Always be a good friend and brother and help others,” he added.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority got its idea from church fans. They had children paste pictures of King onto paper, then added a wooden stick as a handle.
“We’re making fans for the children so they will know the history of Martin Luther King,” said Thelma Allen, who joined the sorority about 50 years ago at West Virginia State University.
Aria Campbell has been in the sorority for about 30 years.
“Helping others and getting other people to know Martin Luther King — that’s our purpose today,” she said.
But it wasn’t only about helping children.
Fred Slack of the university’s Adult Learners Program said he was promoting the group’s services to provide tuition, housing, financial aid, books and baby-sitting for students over 25 — about a third of UA’s students.
He said it fit in with the fair’s emphasis on education. “I think [education] is the cornerstone of our society,” he said. “Everybody is downsizing or relocating or so forth. They need jobs and education is the best way to get a job.”
But most of the day belonged to kids, and Ciera Givens, a UA senior studying communication, was handing out stick figures with King’s quotes.
“I just hope the kids can learn a little more and making these little stick figures might spark them to have more interest to learn about Martin Luther King and what he did,” she said.
Dave Scott can be reached at 330-996-3577 or davescott@thebeaconjournal.com