On Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day, January 16, 2023, the Division of Student Engagement and Success and the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and International Programs hosted the annual Town and Gown Community Breakfast in honor of the renowned Civil Rights leader’s birthday.

The United States passed the legislation to make MLK Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983. This piece of legislation was first brought to Congress in 1968 following his death on April 4 of that same year. The first observance of the holiday was in 1986.

The breakfast featured opening remarks from Tarleton’s President, Dr. James Hurley, as well as performances from the Tarleton Chamber Choir. The breakfast also includes a speech competition for students.

JaShone Titus and Lamonte Jackson, previous speech winners, competed in the speech competition again this year. JaShone Titus won this year’s speech competition.

“To me, the MLK breakfast was a chance to highlight the talent and promise of tomorrow’s leaders and show how students want to make an impact in their community,” Titus said.

Titus is a senior Interdisciplinary studies major with a minor in psychology. He serves as the Vice President of the Black Student Union (BSU) and Phi Beta Sigma (PBS) Fraternity Incorporated.

“This is an annual Tarleton event that showcases the talent of our minority students,” Titus said.

Titus’ speech was about why he must march.

“This [speech] was all about my reasoning and responsibility to continue the legacy that the people before me started,” Titus said.

Both speech contestants presented their speeches to the community as well as a group of selected faculty and staff. After the speeches, the selected faculty and staff group chose a winner.

“I think that events like this are important because it shows people that there are folks that still aim to change tomorrow,” Titus said. “I believe that you have to learn from yesterday, so you can live today, and change tomorrow.”

For more information about future events like these, visit https://catalog.tarleton.edu/diversityequityinclusion/ and https://www.tarleton.edu/ses/.