UPDATED: January 31st at 4:24 p.m.

Thousands filled the seats of the Carrier Dome on Sunday to attend Syracuse University’s 34th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The celebration featured singers, dancers and speakers as part of this year’s theme, “The Global Impact of Civil Rights,” as well as a keynote address from Trevor Noah.

Noah is a comedian, host of “The Daily Show” and author of the autobiography, “Born a Crime.”

He spoke of South African apartheid and its effects on his life. He defined apartheid as “legalized racism, as simple as that.” The legal racial divides made it so that his family — his mother Xhosa and his father Swiss — could not be seen together.

“One of the key things (oppression) strives to do is separate people,” he said.

Noah said one of the life lessons his mother taught him was to never let the racist actions of others ruin their day.

“You don’t let that injustice change who you fundamentally wish to be. In your pursuit of equality, you don’t need to lose the very joy that you wish to fully realize,” Noah said.

Noah spoke of the similarities between Nelson Mandela and King, saying that both fought for equality for all, not just those of their identity. He added that he learned from Mandela to resist oppression not from a place of anger, but from a place of love.

As for his work as a comedian and his ability to use humor when discussing serious topics, Noah said “humor is how I see the world. It is a visceral expression of our joy,” adding that humor is how he processes the world he’s in.

Noah’s book “Born a Crime” was required reading for all incoming SU freshmen and was discussed during SEM 100, a mandatory five-week course that aimed to address issues surrounding diversity and inclusion on campus.

Noah said he never expected the book to connect with people as much as it did, but it made him realize how similar people are to one another.

Jennifer Sanders, a broadcast journalist for NewsChannel 9, ended the interview on stage by asking Noah what advice he would give to his younger self and the audience. He said all of his lessons were “diluted” versions of his mom’s, so he shared one of hers.

Everyone is in control of what they do in their life, Noah said, and while not all life experiences may be good, “what you make of those things will determine where you end up.”

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The celebration featured a performance by the Syracuse-based Adanfo Ensemble, an African dance and drumming group that aims to honor diversity and bring together cultures through music. Four dancers performed together and individually, and the drums were the only music played. The crowd clapped along to the beat as the dancers and drummers gradually moved off stage.

Following Adanfo Ensemble’s performance was Jackie Robinson, a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Class of 1978, who spoke of King’s two visits to the university. King spoke at the Summer Sessions dinner in both 1961 and 1965.

In referencing the event’s theme, she said, “what Dr. King did was participate in a global civil rights movement.”

SU’s MLK Celebration is the largest university-sponsored event in the country to honor the late civil rights leader, Robinson added.

The co-chairs of the celebration were Deresha Hayles, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Brian Konkol, the dean of Hendricks Chapel. Hayles said the planning process for the event included highlighting similar community struggles from Selma, Syracuse and to South Africa.

Konkol delivered a sermon to the audience which referenced some of King’s ideologies and quotes.

“We remember, we celebrate, and we act,” he said, “and we act to do our part in bending the universe’s arc towards justice.”

The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble of Syracuse University and SU’s 2019 Community Choir also performed “The Black National Anthem,” alternatively known as “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” during the event. The audience was encouraged to stand if able and join the choirs in song.

Chancellor Kent Syverud, during the event, referenced King’s 1965 visit to SU in a speech, saying that students unable to attend the sold-out address listened to the reverend over loudspeakers in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall’s Gifford Auditorium. Syverud elaborated on King’s ideal of meaningful action, saying that such action can “make this campus a truly open, inclusive and welcoming place for all people.”

The celebration featured several performers of song and dance.

Following the chancellor was the YAT Hip Hop, Dance & Culture with the Southwest Community Center (Higher Standards Camp). Performers danced to Michael Jackson, sang “Let Freedom Ring,” and rapped. Another singer compared the struggle of poverty to slavery and apartheid.

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice, like slavery and apartheid. Poverty is not natural, it is man-made and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings,” they sang.

Another performing group was A New Generation Eternally Lifting Souls, whose song was addressed to victims of police brutality. The song began by saying “has anybody here seen my young son,” with each verse changing to address Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.

“We screamed Black Lives Matter, all these people die young, we looked around and they were gone,” the group said.

SU’s Black Reign Step team, in their 14th year at SU, performed a stepping routine. Stepping is a form of dance composed of stomping, snapping and using body movements to create sound. They ended with their backs turned, and fists raised.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the number of people who attended the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was misstated. Nearly 5,000 people attended. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on January 28, 2019 at 12:25 am

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu