You may not remember the last time his name was muttered during a lecture or in conversation, but on Thursday the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. resounded with a powerful voice through the Durham Great Hall in the Memorial Union.

For the past 22 years, the third Monday of January has been established as a period to celebrate arguably the greatest peace and civil rights agent this country has ever seen. While the celebration of King’s legacy is unquestionably important, speakers at the gathering had differing opinions on the direct application of his beliefs.

“Some people may think we’ve reached the mountain top – the truth is that we aren’t even going in the right direction,” said Mary Sawyer, professor of religious studies.

Sawyer said that, after his assassination, King’s closest associates and family members continuously “dropped the ball” in advancing his passionate messages.

ISU activist Greg Bonett, senior in electrical engineering and treasurer of Time for Peace, agreed King’s true legacy needs to play more of an active role in everyone’s everyday lives.

Bonett used a current example to illustrate why King himself would be frowning upon today’s generations.

“Right now we’re building prisons at an alarming rate and filling them with people who have done little more than being black or poor,” Bonett said. “If Dr. King were here today, he would ask for action – nonviolent, direct action.”

Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost, took a different view on the importance of King’s teachings. She said the political success of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is just one product of the foundation laid by the civil rights activist.

“We do have far to go before getting to the mountain top, and I hope we will see the promised land,” Hoffman said. “The most amazing thing during the current presidential race is that race isn’t an issue. Whether Sen. Obama is elected as the next president is not the question – it’s that he has made a huge overall impact on the race.”

As a community, Iowa State and Ames rewarded a group and an individual who have each worked diligently to incorporate King’s beliefs into their own work by presenting the Advancing One Community Award.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services Advisory Board was presented with the award for what Hoffman called “carrying out the social justice in the name of Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Kathleen Hickok, professor of English, was deemed a “change agent” and “truly one of ISU’s best professors and mentors” by Hoffman and was then presented the individual awards.

Susan Carlson, associate provost, concluded the celebration by introducing other events that will touch on the visions of Martin Luther King Jr,. including a Feb. 4 lecture that will focus on the lost history of civil rights.

While the week leading up to Thursday’s celebration could be described as somewhat of a lull, Hoffman said that the event was “just the beginning of the celebration.”