Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Andrea Pendergast Political science professor Obika Gray, right, speaks at the "World Gone Mad" roundtable discussion to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Friday afternoon in Schofield Auditorium. Other panel speakers included history professors Stephen Gosch, left, Robert Gough and Selika Ducksworth-Lawton.

Even 40 years after his death, the messages and works of Martin Luther King Jr. are still felt today, members of a Friday afternoon discussion said.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the history department at UW-Eau Claire held the discussion "The World Gone Mad" in Schofield Auditorium. The discussion was put on to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of King, giving both historical and personal insights into his death. They also spoke about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed two months later on June 5, 1968.

Among the professors presenting were Robert Gough, Steven Gosch and Selika Ducksworth-Lawton of the history department and Obika Gray of the political science department.

The messages of both these men still are relevant today, Ducksworth-Lawton said. In particular, King's hope for change and prosperity goes beyond just the fight for civil rights in the 1960s.

"It's not just a race issue, it's a class issue," Ducksworth-Lawton said. She added how before King was assassinated, he organized an all-races poor person's march similar to the civil rights marches he led.

Ducksworth-Lawton said much of what King wanted to change is still possible today through political participation.

"Vote for your house, your job, for a Supreme Court who will protect your house," she said during the question and answersession.

Gray echoed the sentiment, urging the crowd to avoid voting on hot button issues such as abortion or gay marriage and focus on voting for better education and economic rights.

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