I Have a Dream...Too! (No Really I Do!!)

Happy New Year all! This is Angelo back in the spot, rejuvenated and enthused in the ‘08 spreading the great news that is Vanderbilt University. For instance a random fact, but did you know that Vanderbilt has a 3:1 squirrel to student ratio? That means if you love squirrels, then Vanderbilt is the right spot for you! Or, did you know that Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, graduated from Vanderbilt? GO DORES FOOTBALL! Lastly, did you know that Chris Brown enrolled this past fall majoring as a voice performance major in our Blair School of Music and walks around campus singing, “and the hearts all over the world tonight, said the hearts all over the world tonight...with you, with you…?” Okay, well maybe that last fact isn’t true (it’s kind of like playing the game two truths and a lie), but I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Well just so you know, Vanderbilt is all a buzz with a vibrant enthusiasm because students are back on campus for the spring semester where classes started this past Wednesday. However, with the arrival of the spring semester come the hope and near completions of many undergraduate seniors and their dreams of attaining a collegiate education. Well world, I must say that I have a dream..too. I have a dream that with a current 16-0 record, the men’s basketball team will continue on to the 2008 NCAA tournament and make it to the Final Four. Again I say, I have a dream today, that our women’s bowling team will once again be victorious and reclaim the NCAA national championship for Vanderbilt two years in a row. Lastly, I say dear prospective, A…hem, that I have a dream today for India Arie to be invited to come to Rites of Spring (the annual Spring music festival on campus) in April and that Daughtry gets to headline during that weekend as well (hey I surprised you that I like Daughtry huh? Well you should know that when you read my blog to expect the unexpected) with The Commons being the new site for Rites. I have a dream...too...today! (insert applause here!)

Okay, okay…so maybe these aren’t really legitimate dreams, but one of the biggest dreamers of the 20th century is a man by the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most prominent, non violent civil rights activists that practiced the art of civil disobedience. Just in case you don’t know who MLK is, thanks to Wikipedia.org, here is a brief biography:

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929–April 4, 1968), was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minister by training, King became a civil rights activist early in his career, leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helping to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, raising public consciousness of the civil rights movement. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1986, Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Martin_Luther_King)

In fact, if you want to catch Dr. King’s, “I Have a Dream" speech, thanks to the great people at YouTube, you can check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King continues and Vanderbilt aids Dr. King's mission of racial equality by sponsoring a great annual event called the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series. A month long celebration, the commemorative series challenges the Vanderbilt community to think more deeply about the divisive nature of our society in hopes of not only invoking change within the Vanderbilt community, but also enabling Vanderbilt students to become global citizens. This year, Harry Belafonte is coming to campus (you know the guy that sings the Banana Boat Song) to speak and in addition, the MLK Commemorative Series committee will be sponsoring numerous seminars and activities that discuss universal cultural awareness as well as diversity on campus. In fact, to get more information you can check out the MLK Commemorative Series website at:

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/mlk/mlknewevents.html

It is definitely an exciting time to be a DORE and check back soon where I will divulge more of the secrets that makes VU a great cultural community.

Until next time!