Mark Ilg was so impressed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech that he memorized it when he was in high school.
As a former Marine, Ilg recited the speech many times during his military career.
Ilg, an environmental safety specialist at Texas A&M, said he appreciated the historical value of King’s speech and especially enjoyed King’s contrast of the two societies.
On Wednesday, Aggies will experience the speech, as performed by Ilg, during the opening ceremony of the “Campus With A Dream: A Patchwork of Aggie Cultures” presented by MSC Diversity.
The weeklong event aims to promote diversity on campus and bring different cultural groups from around campus together to celebrate the life and legacy of King. It will feature musical performances, a variety show and a panel discussion.
“A good thing is that they are offering a variety of events,” said James Anderson, vice president and associate provost for the office of institutional assessment and diversity. “Associating (diversity) with Aggie traditions is very important.”
Peter Lieuwen, music professor and head of the Department of Performance Studies, is one of the performers in “A Night of Jazz” in the J. Wayne Stark Galleries Thursday.
“I think jazz is most accurately the music of black Americans,” Lieuwen said. “As a jazz pianist and historian, I’ve done some work in this area.”
Karen Butler-Purry, associate professor of electrical engineering, will be participating in the panel discussion “Is the American Dream Still Alive?” Monday and will be discussing problems in the American education system.
“I think there is inequality in quality education all over the country,” Butler-Purry said.
Organizer Dave Louis, MSC programs director, hopes the event will bring people together.
“The main message is that freedom is what everyone is striving for whether we are black, white or immigrants,” Louis said. “The bottom line is, our theme is ‘Different People, All Aggies.’ Different people may have different needs, but we are all Aggies.”