Spring Break
Civil rights pioneer speaks at annual gathering
Craig discusses his work during 1960s, first-hand experience with MLK Jr.
Sarah-Dale Simpkins
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: News
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More than 600 people packed into the Colvard Student Union Ballroom Monday morning to celebrate King's life and the impact he had on society. Stephen Middleton, African-American studies director, said the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Breakfast has outgrown every venue in which it has been held and continues to expand every year.
Noted guests at the event included university President Robert "Doc" Foglesong, Starkville Mayor Dan Camp and trial lawyer Gregory Craig, the keynote speaker. Craig, who is a partner in the Williams and Connolly Law Firm in Washington D.C., was appointed assistant to the President and special counsel in the White House in 1998 by then President Bill Clinton.
In 1963, at the age of 18, he participated in the march on Washington D.C., where he stood a mere 20 feet away from the podium when King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Craig's passion was instantly sparked, and he has been a strong civil rights advocate ever since.
Craig helped recruit student workers during 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer, a campaign organized to register African-Americans in the state to vote.
During his speech, Craig described King as a disciplined leader who brought people together with his message and never allowed that message to be pragmatic or blurred.
"Dr. King picked tactics and strategies that appealed to and reinforced the best instincts of the American people. He called on the best of us rather than attacking the worst of us," Craig said. "In this he was profoundly pro-American, I think, and believed in the essence of the united country living up to its ideal."
Craig said King would be proud to know that society today is a lot different than the one he lived in.
"He would be thrilled to see so many African-Americans across the United States engaged in the political process," he said. "Voting for the candidate of their choice - that's a huge change."
Though there have been positive changes since King's death, he would have been completely disappointed that the United States is still divided in many ways, Craig said.
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