A standing ovation shook the JVH auditorium for the choir’s last song on Monday night at the True Colors event, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The hour long tribute included song, dance, monologues and poetry.

“It’s an event called True Colors that is going to honor MLK’s legacy through song, acting and spoken word,” said Aniya Thomas, the head of the Black Student Union (BSU). “We’ll also have some video presentations and some guest speakers.”

In the past, MLK day was not observed at Point Park.

“Back in 2010, the academic calendar was changed,” said Helen Fallon, director of the Honors Program. “That’s when the BSU and Honors Program started holding different programs.”

MLK day was not officially observed again until the BSU organized to call attention to the issue.

“Under Christian Moore, the BSU got university students to sign a petition to have MLK day off,” Allanah Owens, Vice President of BSU said. “Now we always do something.”

MLK day serves as an annual reminder of the sacrifices made for equality. This holiday was celebrated by the university until 2010 when the academic calendar was changed and the administration decided to do away with MLK day.

“When I was at Point Park, I was the BSU president and back in 2010 they first started making students go to school on Martin Luther King Day,” Kevin Carter said.

Carter and Jamie Inferrera, the head of the Honors Program, sent a letter to the Vice Provost at the time.   

“We told them we were disappointed,” Inferrera said. “It wasn’t about just having a day off, it was more about the spirit of MLK day being recognized as day of learning, volunteering and giving back to community.”

The two asked for additional funding to put on a Day of Dreams in honor of MLK.

“Once we approached them and told them this is something that needs to be addressed, they really supported us,” Inferrera said.

The day of dreams was approved right before winter break so Inferrera and Carter had to plan fast.

“We buckled down to organize speeches based on views and perspectives around civil rights and how that looks in their place of business,” Carter said. “In the evening, we had a speaker who did a great session on women and empowerment.”

They organized interactive events for students to get involved such as a dream wall.

“The dream wall was a big board and people got to come and write what their dreams for the world were,” Carter said. “MLK had a dream, we should have a dream too.”

This year, the True Colors event focused on connecting MLK’s legacy to current Point Park students and their journey.

“There are so many different spectrums of colors in this world and we have to be mindful that we are all one and that we are all a part of this experience,” Thomas said.

The BSU, Honors Program and SAIL have organized to involve students in celebrating the legacy and legend of MLK through the True Colors event.

“Each performance would have its own color that represents something in MLK that is in us,” Thomas said. “It is about our colors as a nation and we hope that people leave knowing what their true colors are and knowing what a great gem MLK was to us.”