Nadra Mabrouk/Asst. News Director
On Jan. 18, middle and high school students will walk along the bay to model the Montgomery, Ala. walks that Martin Luther King, Jr. organized during civil strife with flowers in their hands. As part of the University’s 21st annual commemorative celebration for MLK, the Youth Forum will begin at 10 a.m. in the Wolfe University Center ballroom and lead into the peace walk around 11 a.m.
According to Senior Secretary of Multicultural Programs and Services, Sonya Anderson, five schools have confirmed the attendance of their students at the Youth Forum and Peace Walk. Madison Middle School and John F. Kennedy Middle School along with Carol City Senior High, Miami Central Senior High and William Turner Tech are the schools that have confirmed. Each participating school’s principals and College Assistance Program advisers will select the students that are able to attend the day’s events.
“We want to educate them on different struggles and encourage them to fight for what they want,” Anderson said.
The Youth Forum will begin with the National Anthem and the Negro National Anthem sung by Mara Moline. A welcome will be given by Steven Moll, vice provost of the Biscayne Bay Campus and Rosa Jones, vice president of Student Affairs. The keynote speaker for the Youth Forum will be Raquel Wright, M. Sc.
Wright received a bachelor’s in sociology and politics from Ithaca College and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University. Wright won Miss Jamaica Universe in 2005, and was appointed as the national spokesperson for HIV/AIDS awareness in Jamaica.
She is now the assistant director of Advancement, Alumni and Corporate Relations for the College of Business at FIU. Wright will speak at the Youth Forum and students will have a chance to ask her questions with a question and answer session.
The Peace Walk will be 20 minutes long, according to Jeffrey McNamee, associate director of MPAS. Mcnamee hopes the walk will encourage participating students to excel in high school and to make it to a university in order to achieve their dreams.
“Just like Dr. King, they can be the change. We want them to see they can change their lives and the lives of others in a positive way,” McNamee said.
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