Before delivering the University\u2019s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address, Marc Morial took some time to speak with students at the Douglass Leadership House. Morial, the CEO and president of the National Urban League and a former mayor of New Orleans, answered questions about activism, race, and the keys to leading a successful life.<\/p>\n
Asked to reflect on what today\u2019s students should take from King\u2019s legacy, Morial said, \u201cI think college students should recognize that fighting for, working for, and sometimes being activists and protesters for change is a time-honored American tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morial argued that King\u2019s life proved that young people have the power to affect history. Speaking of the early 1960s, Morial said, \u201cWe had Dr. King in his 30s. We had a president, John F. Kennedy, who was in his early 40s. We had [Civil Rights activist] John Lewis, who was in his 20s. We had any number of young people who were involved in civil rights and the Vietnam protest. And as young people, they challenged establishment thinking, they challenged convention and norms, and they changed the trajectory of a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morial, who was elected mayor of New Orleans at age 35, added, \u201cAge does not always equal maturity, and maturity does not equal age. Anyone with good sense, passion, and desire can contribute, be a leader, and bring about change.\u201d<\/p>\n