Members of Alpha Phi Alpha at Northern Illinois University presided over a re-dedication ceremony for a bust representing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The bust was moved to a more prominent spot in the university’s MLK commons, next to a newly remodeled student center. NIU alumnus and Alpha member Maurice Thomas says several protests against racism were held on the Commons.
Demonstrations included burning campus newspapers due to the publication’s unfair representation of black students. Thomas urged the crowd to continue to use the space for civil rights.
“We come to share common causes in unity marches and in collaborations to express ourselves as the student body, as student leaders of all students representing this school,” he said.
Alpha Phi Alpha also sponsored two memorial benches at the site. One memorializes Stacy Dolby, a man who housed black NIU students in Sycamore when DeKalb didn’t allow them to live there. He also served organized the local chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in 1964, and served as their advisor for 26 years. The other bench honors Willard Draper, a longtime campus advisor who mentored many students, including Maurice Thomas.