De Leo also voiced the committee's continued attempts to acknowledge freshman and sophomore students involved in the study and practice of MLK's nonviolence.
Next, the Voices of Imani Choir performed the gospel songs "Oh Happy Day" and "By and By."
In his introduction, De Leo indicated that this was a special performance because professor Hubert Walters, the choir's musical director since 1982, will be retiring after this year.
Walters said that he has enjoyed bringing this "personal expressive music from the black church" to others throughout the many years.
This year's keynote speaker was Andrea J. Cabral, the Suffolk County sheriff and BC '81. Cabral began by reflecting on the value of a name.
She said that no other race has struggled more with what to call itself. She noted a yearning to reconnect with the race's cultural origin, for "we were not immigrants, but we came as cargo."
In the end, black Americans claim all of their cultural contributions to American society.
"Our history is American history because we have been here from the beginning," she said. "All of this should be held precious and not simply relegated to reflection in the shortest month of the year."
Despite all of these achievements, she believes that black Americans are losing their history "one uneducated child at a time."
She implored the current generation to reverse the growing disconnect between the present and past through the means of education.
"Education equals freedom," Cabral said and continued that her jails in Suffolk County are lined with the "truant children of yesterday."
Every January, Americans celebrate MLK's birthday, and Cabral said that every year we must ask ourselves how far we have come in realizing his dream.
"We have much work to do," but Americans cannot solely rely on external organizations for their resources. There must be a revival of self-reliance, she said.
In the end, Cabral said that the best way to honor MLK is to "help others who need us most … we realize his dream when we make someone else's life better, because his dream is our dream."
Spring Break
