'Day On' encourages service

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday meant many Bloomington businesses were closed and IU students didn't have to wake up early to attend classes. But for many, the holiday wasn't just a day in a long weekend. Instead, it was a time to put King's words into action.\nSince 1998, the IU and Bloomington communities have joined forces to create a weekend of service. Thousands of people participated in the weekend, "A Day On … Not A Day Off." Volunteers went to the 50 participating agencies and work sites to donate their time. This year, more than 400 people volunteered, said Darrell Ann Stone, associate director of student activities. \nThe participants also had a variety of events to attend. They ranged from a "Read Out" at the Monroe County Public Library to the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration. In the past, many of the events have been geared toward adults, but this year several events were geared especially toward children.\nUnity Summit\nThe Black Student Union sponsored its fourth annual Unity Summit, a diversity workshop, Monday.\nThe event took place at the Indiana Memorial Union and featured skits about race relations, sexual orientation, sexual favoritism and hate crimes. About 50 students attended the workshop and had in-depth discussions about how to eliminate these problems.\nShaunette Byers, a junior and BSU president, said the event was successful.\n"I am very happy," Byers said. "It turned out well, and everyone was willing and able to give a very good discussion. We definitely gave people something to go home and think about."\nByers said one of the goals of the program was to enlighten people and make them look at various situations happening in today's society.\n"We're trying to gain unity," Byers said. "He (King) fought because he wanted us to be unified to stand together as brother and sister no matter what color we were. It's all about us coming together."\n"One Voice, Many People"\n"I wish everyone would get along." "Black and white shall live together in peace." "One world united by one man -- Martin Luther King."\nThese were some slogans children wrote to express their feelings about King's message on murals they created at La Casa Latino Cultural Center, 715 E. Seventh St.\nChildren of all ages gathered Monday at the center to express the accomplishments and the significance of King.\nGraduate student Siomara Valladares, graduate assistant for the center, said the center hoped this event would cater to children.\n"A lot of times the events that we provide on campus tend to target an older audience, and rarely are our children provided an opportunity to express their own ideas and thoughts," Valladares said.\nShe said the event was called "One Voice, Many People" because "One Voice" represents King and the "Many People" represents the many who share and want to carry on his dream.\nThis was the first year the center sponsored the event, and Valladares said she hopes it will continue next year. She said the center had a good response, and decided to extend the activity throughout this week. \nAt the end of the week, the slogans will be formed into one large mural to be displayed at the center. \nMartin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration\nMore than 300 people attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at the Bloomington Convention Center Monday.\nThe celebration recognized the volunteerism of Bloomington and the IU community. Rev. Michael Anderson said he thinks the successful weekend reflected the efforte of many different people.\n"We have all been working together for the past four years," Anderson said. "Planning efforts for this weekend started last summer. We are all willing to be honest with each other with things that need to change."\nMayor John Fernandez said he thinks the interaction between the IU and Bloomington communities is important.\n"The series of events around Dr. King brings the community together very well," Fernandez said. "The interactions of students working in the community are important to the growth of the community."\nFernandez said even though society has come a long way in the past few decades, there is still a lot of work to be done.\nStone said the weekend was an interactive experience that defined purpose and brought people together.\n"I hope this day is a beginning and not an end," Stone said. "You (students) continue to show us the dream of MLK. You show us we can build bridges and walk on them together"