Point of View
UNC Student Body President Reyna Walters delivered MLK day speech on the steps of
the post office on Franklin Street. Photo: Delvin Davis
David Rankin, a member of
the North Community Association
and advocator for affordable hous
ing, made some very important
points. Rankin stated that it takes
only one highly motivated person,
like Martin Luther King Jr., to make
a change. He went on to say that
things worth changing are things
worth fighting for. So chose your
battle and get involved.
Before the march began.
Faith Tabernacle Choir sang “Lift
Ev’ry Voice and Sing” to get every
one motivated. The first historical
point in which we marched around
was Silent Sam, a Confederate War
memorial erected by the Daughters
of Confederacy and the university
on (“he 50th anniversary of the
Emancipation Proclamation in
1913. We then marched down
Franklin Street where hundreds of
black high school and UNC stu
dents were arrested. Farther down
near Carrboro was the black busi
ness district in 1960 where high
school students from the all-black
Lincoln High staged the first sit-in
in 1960.
Then we marched down the
corner of Cotton and McDade
Streets. During the Civil Rights
Movement, it was a place for black
youth to meet apart from others in
the movement to decide their
course of action. Continuing, we
stopped by the Hargraves
Recreation Center. The building
was built due to a rebellion in 1937
by blacks for a recreation center.
The white civic leaders felt it w'as a
worthwhile project. The last stop
was the First Baptist Church in
Chapel Hill. It is one of the oldest
and largest black churches in
Chapel Hill. One of the churches
where Civil Rights rallies were
held.
When asked why they came
out to the march and rally, people
responded in the following way:
“To keep the dream alive and pro
mote unity,”
“To promote affordable housing,
and to celebrate a man who gave his
life for our freedom,”
“1 wanted to take a stand for equal
ity because actions speak louder
than words”
During the march, we chant sever
al songs such as “We Shall Not be
Moved” and “Hey Hey! Ho
HolRacism has got to go!”
The march and rally was a
great success. The goals of the
event were to educate people on the
issue of affordable housing in
Chapel Hill and Carrboro and to get
people involved in the community.
Both goals were accomplished.
We should learn from this
event that standing still will get us
no where. We will remain in the
hands of the oppressor as long as
we do not get involved. We will
never reach equality by doing noth
ing. Better said by Mr. David
Rankin, “Choose your battle and
get involved.”