Last night, University of Oregon and Lane Community College partnered up to hear a keynote address from esteemed journalist and current White House correspondent April Ryan. The event was part of a series of events celebrating this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and representatives from the Associated Students of Lane Community College (ASLCC) and the Black Student Union (BSU) were the key organizers of the event.
Ryan drew most of her address from personal experience as a black, female journalist who has worked closely with political figureheads such as former president Bill Clinton, former president and first lady George and Laura Bush, and senator John Kerry.
A Baltimore native, Ryan spoke of King as the foremost leader of the civil rights movement, and how his plans have created the blueprint used by every successful social justice movement since. “What I have learned from covering these presidents and seeing the organized groups that come to the White House, [is that] the most effective movements are the movements that are persistent and consistent,” she said. “There’s a blueprint, the most successful blueprint, that was created in the 50s and 60s- the Civil Rights movement. And everyone has now taken from that blueprint.”
Ryan also strongly encouraged all audience members to involve themselves personally in these movements. “I encourage…everyone here to know what’s going on. To watch the politics, to be aware of the issues, to listen to every candidate.”
She concluded by emphasizing the ways in which we fulfill King’s iconic dream. “If I can look at you in the face and say ‘have a nice day’ and mean it…we are living the dream. If I can reach out to you and say ‘do you need a hand?’ we’re still living the dream…It’s about changing the complacency and dis-ease in a civil, humane way…You all are here, you are keeping the dream alive.”