Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Sylvia Carey-Butler affirmed Friday, Feb. 7, that the decision-making process for future Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Luncheons will remain the same despite student backlash.
This news follows backlash and a protest from student campus groups resulting from KSU bringing Lockheed Martin Marietta Vice President Roderick McLean to give a speech at last month’s second annual Dr. King Legacy Luncheon.
The student-led response to the selection of McLean will not alter the committee selection process for future MLK Legacy Luncheon keynote speakers, Carey-Butler said.
“First and foremost, [KSU wants] to ensure that [students] are able to gain an understanding of Dr. King’s principles, so selecting a speaker for the luncheon is going to be a campus-wide effort,” Carey-Butler said.
The committee that chooses keynote speakers represents KSU’s administration, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and student voices, Carey-Butler said.
KSU Student Government Association members were on the committee this year, including SGA President Tariq Bradford and Director of Academic Affairs J.J. Lopez, Bradford said at an SGA meeting held Wednesday, Jan. 22. The president from KSU’s African-American Student Alliance was also invited to participate.
“I was not a part of the [2020 committee] but [the ODI was] represented,” Carey-Butler said. “The committee was in place not just for the Legacy Luncheon — It was in place and responsible for the entire campus.”
The decision on the keynote speaker for Martin Luther King Week was originally made only by KSU’s AASA, but in 2015 the process was changed to be decided by a committee and the administration at KSU, according to a statement by KSUnited.
Carey-Butler did not confirm the statement from KSUnited but said she recalls students having control over the keynote speaker for MLK Week at KSU in previous years.
“We want students to be involved,” Carey-Butler said. “We want campus community members and administrators and faculty to be involved in the selection of speakers.“
Future Legacy Luncheon speaker selection committees will continue to represent the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, KSU’s administration and student voices on campus, Carey-Butler said.
“Our goal is to truly identify individuals and get those individuals to come to campus so that we have someone inspirational, and provide students with a lens that they may not have been exposed to, as well as who embodies Dr. King’s legacy,” Carey-Butler said.
KSU student organizations KSUnited, Students for Justice in Palestine at KSU and Young Democratic Socialists of America at KSU protested the choice for the Thursday, Jan. 16, Legacy Luncheon keynote speaker due to his position at Lockheed Martin Marietta.
In a statement put out by KSUnited and endorsed by local progressive groups, the group said McLean is representative of the United States military-industrial complex, which disrespects King’s legacy of non-violence, as previously reported by the Sentinel. Demonstrators staged a die-in to oppose KSU’s decision to bring McLean to speak.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion affirms as an institution that everyone matters at KSU and seeks to transform how everyone experiences the university, according to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website.
