The dinner held on Monday, Jan. 18, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., proved to be successful as students, faculty and members of the community flocked to Bossard Hall to enjoy the soul food prepared by Lakeland’s Dining Services and to watch King’s powerful “I Have a Dream” speech.

To create a more formal atmosphere for the event, the tables were lined beautifully with linen table cloths and the lights were dimmed.

The feedback of the event was extremely positive, with students expressing their thoughts about the evening.

“I think it’s wonderful that they put on multicultural events to bridge the gap of diversity,” stated junior ReBecca Cannon, “he was a great man…who was gone too soon.”

Senior Heather Ross, business administration major, admitted she didn’t know much about the event before showing up due to the fact that flyers, which had been helpful in previous years, were not posted.

However, after the event she stated, “The food was good and I was really glad they showed the video of King speaking. I’m glad I went.”

A few people, however, who had throughout the week expressed liking the walks that had been held the last couple years, wondered if they would happen again.

“We’re not opposed to anything, but we’re going to continue to do the dinner. It was a huge success,” said Corey Roberson, Lakeland College student success and engagement coach. He added, “There’s some exciting things to come and with the dinner [Monday] night and the collaboration with our dining services, I believe that’s here to stay.”

Video by Benjamin Wilks and Lindsey Vagnini.