By Leslie Angela Blanco/Staff Writer
In a collaborative effort to raise awareness and to maintain the memory of the civil rights movement and it’s most revered political leader, Martin Luther King Jr., Multicultural Programs
and Services has partnered with the Frost Art Museum to create the MLK @FIU exhibit. This is its fifth year running, and although MLK week is coming to a close, Black history month is right around the corner and the message it makes to confines of the student body’s psyche at the University is just as relevant and powerful.
Dr. Kalai Mathee, of the FIU department of Human and Molecular Genetics is the main organizer and creator of the event at the Frost Art Museum. The MLK exhibit at the frost Art Museum showcases portraits and drawings dedicated to the movement. The exhibit opened on Jan. 6 and ended on Jan 29.
“The idea was basically that the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration should not just be one day where we have this big breakfast and then everybody forgets what happens. To keep it a little bit more in the hearts and minds of people, we wanted to do activities that span the month of January,” Mathee said. “ The whole idea is that we have students at FIU who are first generation, whose parents aren’t originally from the U.S, so they don’t really know the history of Americans — especially civil rights history.”
Due to the civil rights movement and the struggle of African Americans at that time, it has also caused a domino effect which paved the way for minorities in regards to opportunity and equality. Mathee said that if it wasn’t for the civil rights movement, she being a minority herself, wouldn’t have been able to become a faculty member or get a decent job at the University.
The University, consisting mostly of Hispanic minorities, wouldn’t be what it is today had it not been for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Each year the MLK exhibit at the Frost tries to adhere to a specific theme, the theme this year is “His Vision: Our Responsibility,” which shows a series of illustrations made by author Henry Cole.
When asking students what they thought of the exhibit, Telia a second semester freshman majoring in Psychology said, “ I thought the exhibit was nice, I thought it was necessary because it is a piece of our history. The portraits talking about the underground railroad, I really liked the story telling aspect of that. That was really cool. I just think FIU should advertise the events going on during MLK week more.”
In regards to the advertising, Telia said that she stumbled upon the exhibit at the museum by chance, and there wasn’t enough marketing for the events going on during MLK week.
Victor Garbalosa, third year grad student for physical therapy said, “ This is the first time I’ve heard about the MLK exhibit this year, but I haven’t really seen any flyers, nothing in the email, nothing really raising awareness for it. That small group needs to raise awareness and make sure MLK month is a big deal. I think since FIU is an international university I think its important that we highlight issues such as MLK, and the struggles of the civil rights movement.”
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