In an effort to share the minority experience with Fresno State, the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee brought in distinguished individuals annually for three years.
Founder of the committee Dr. Jeri Echeverria, who is no longer at Fresno State, thought the campus community could benefit from hearing more minority voices in campus dialogue. She challenged faculty and advance level staff to start this committee.
According to Dr. James Walton, a member and English professor, a concern that brought this group to fruition was that the number of African American faculty at Fresno State was below 20 percent.
Roxanne Hinds, Fresno State development director and also a member, said the campus has been active on a number of plans trying to fix this issue but has a lot of ground to cover. She said a start could be to have faculty that is African American because this is one of the first things students are exposed to at the university.
“We can always do more to be welcoming and inclusive,” Hinds said. “We must put a spotlight on diversity.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Scholars Committee is comprised of seven members. Its aim is to encourage thinking and conversation on how social justice is connected to the gap between American ideals and the reality of American life based on gender, race, class, age and other social categories.
The first year the committee brought in columnist and associate editor for the Washington Post Eugene Robinson. The following year Michael Eric Dyson, author and radio host, made an appearance.
Hinds said Dyson was very outspoken and controversial, but added that he connected with everyone there in some fashion.
“Dyson’s appearance got conversations started in class,” Hinds said. “That’s the exact kind of inspiration we were looking for.”
The most recent appearance was last month by the New York Times best-selling author Terry McMillan. Walton said it was time for the committee to sponsor a female voice.
Hinds said McMillan did an excellent job demonstrating what their organization is about. She said McMillan writes about the middle-class experience; what regular people say and do and the situations they find themselves in.
Walton said the appeal of McMillan is a person who is highly successful and creative. He said this appearance was an opportunity to be exposed to the writing process and an inspiration for aspiring creative writers.
Upon introducing McMillan, member Dr. DeAnna Reese said, “McMillan creates a realistic portrait of an African-American life, from a sistas’ perspective.”
The Instruction Related Activities Board funds these annual productions. According to Hinds the committee has hopes to bring in private sponsors for future appearances.
Hinds said a long-term goal for the Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Scholars Committee is to bring in a speaker that doesn’t only put on a presentation but is shared with the university at large. She said the designated speaker would stay for a short duration and add an academic element by attending classes and other university selected activities.