LBC holds vigil at Jesse Hall
Published Nov. 14, 2003
As the hands on the clock neared 7 p.m., two students leaned on the railing of the steps of Jesse Hall.
Dressed in a black and gold "Mizzou" jacket and a knit hat, sophomore Lance White waited for other members of the Legion of Black Collegians to gather for a candlelight vigil to celebrate 50 years since the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court decision.
The vigil was sponsored by the LBC and the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government. Similar vigils were held at nine other schools in the Big 12 Conference.
"We try to have one collaborative event each year with the other schools that are a part of the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government," LBC President Nicole Williams said.
The event was held to help students remember the case, which helped end segregation by declaring that "separate but equal" educational facilities were not constitutional.
"It's important that we, as black students, know how we got our opportunities like going to any college that we want," White said.
At 7:12 p.m., students and professors who were waiting inside Jesse Hall to avoid the frigid air filed out and formed a semi-circle around a podium set up at the top of the stairs and waited to hear a speech by Williams.
In her speech, Williams said the court decision was one of the most important decisions in the history of the nation.
"As we walk through the halls and on campus, let us not forget those who fought for our rights," she said. "The fight must go on. We as a people will never give up fighting for equality."
At the end of her speech, she asked the crowd to join her in a chant of, "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last."
Following the speech, 50 candles were passed around to those in the crowd to commemorate the 50 years since the ruling. As people passed the flame to one another, they joined Williams in singing "We Shall Overcome" and then observed a moment of silence to honor and thank the fighters of the past.
Visiting professor Robert Williams said remembering the court case is important because it ended 68 years of segregation.
"Events like this help young blacks remember the struggles of the past," he said. "Some had never heard of the court case."
Students should attend events like this because it helps teach history, freshman Tracy Addison said.
"Fifty years ago we weren't able to go to a predominantly white school," she said. "Sitting at home instead of coming shows you take for granted all the opportunities we've been given."
Nicole Williams said she thought the event went well.
"The message has been spread," she said. "Now the challenge is for these people who attended to continue to spread the message of the fighters of the past. It's so easy to forget all the hard work and struggle that went into the opportunities that we have today. It's important not to let this event end tonight."