Shippensburg University held its 35th annual March for Humanity in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to march against racial injustice and discrimination on Jan. 26 at Old Main Chapel. The march was hosted by Shippensburg University’s African American Organization and the Multicultural Affairs office. Other campus groups present were the Multi-Ethnic Student Association, Elite Dance Troupe, Latino Student Organization and The B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. Organization.

SU President Charles Patterson and several members of the SU community made brief speeches to the audience prior to the march.

“For 35 years the March for Humanity is not only celebrating the life and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but it is also celebrating the important work of diversity, inclusion and the accomplishment of our students serving as changemakers at Shippensburg University,” Patterson said. “Moreover, the annual March for Humanity is a visible and very important reminder of belonging, one of the few core values that are codified in the university’s strategic planning.”

This year’s speaker, Norman Bristol Colón, is the chief diversity officer and director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. He is a founder and the first elected national chair of the U.S. Council on Latino Affairs and served as national chair of the Interstate Migrant Education Council. Colón has also been recently added to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s transition team.

“If it had not been for the dream my friends, we wouldn’t have inclusive schools where black and brown students are going to the same schools as white students in America. Even when our workplaces are diverse. We must fight to finish the dream where a black or brown person gets paid the same amount for the same job they perform,” Colón said during his speech. “The dream is now realized that we must become conveners of MLK, protecting the dignity and rights for everyone. Where we will continue marching every year, every day, to ensure that the United States of America is indeed the nation of opportunity; the nation of belonging; and the nation of inclusiveness.”

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