VALDOSTA – “What would Dr. King do?” Roy Copeland asked the audience.

Copeland – an attorney, community activist and Valdosta State University associate professor – was the keynote speaker for VSU’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, VSU’s Diversity and Inclusion office and the university’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter hosted the event Monday.

The observance began with a march from the University Center near Brookwood Drive to North Oak Street and into the campus’ Palms Quad where Copeland spoke.

In his speech, he talked about anger and how King historically utilized his anger to advocate for change in America. Copeland believes people in today’s society are upset about recent events.

“Can we get angry and convert that anger, like King, into a positive mission,” Copeland said. “Yes, we can. Yes, we have. Yes, we will.”

The Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff – where the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Democrats, defeated incumbent GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue – was his example of action. He said people who were angry made sure they registered to vote.

Though King is no longer alive, Ari Matchett, VSU NAACP political action chair, said his work continues.

“Today’s MLK celebration takes place to remember the services of Martin Luther King Jr. and everything that he did for African American communities,” she said. “We want to keep his dream alive and move forward in the process of racial injustice and remember that the fight is still going.”

Messiah Taylor, president of APhiA’s Mu Omicron chapter, said the march’s attendees promoted equality. 

Nyla Williams, VSU NAACP president, believes King’s legacy is alive within the Valdosta community. People are connected by their understanding of various injustices, she said.

The MLK observance concluded with light refreshments, food from Big Nick’s on Baytree and activities on the quad.