On Wednesday night, SAC presented a very special speaker to the campus of UTM by the name of Barry Scott, who paid tribute to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Scott spoke on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He shared how Dr. King, one of the most captivating but misunderstood men in American history, impacted his life and what brought him to this point.

During the presentation, Scott recited famous speeches once spoken by Dr. King himself. He also had some humorous ways of impersonating the people in his life, such as his father or a lady from his church.

He told how, when he was a young boy, he watched, on a 16mm movie projector, Dr. King deliver his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. He then proceeded to watch the speech many times over.

Afterwards, he illustrated how he jumped on his bed wearing only his underwear and recited those four little, but very poignant words.

His inspiration for becoming engrossed in all things Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., came by way of his father, a history teacher, who brought home that footage and encouraged his young son to learn the “I Have a Dream” speech after seeing how his son was enthralled by this passionate speaker.

The first time Scott ever recited the famous speech was as a young boy at his church, Kayne Missionary Baptist Church. It happened on a Sunday in February during what was Negro History Week.

He received a standing ovation from the entire congregation and it was at that moment he was inspired to go farther and press on with his mission to pay tribute to one of history’s greatest men.

He considers the turning point of his life when his father let him borrow the car for an unchaperoned date.

He drove to pick up his date but never made it there. He was pulled over by a police officer and harrassed.

The officer made him profess that his father was “lazy” and that his mom was a “whore.”

Just as he summoned up the courage to run, the officer decided to let him go, but not before calling him more obscene names.

When he arrived home, he told his father what happened, who, in turn, told a couple of police officers he knew.

The officers sat back and laughed and that embarassed his father.

Standing alone on a bare stage in Watkins Auditorium wearing a grey suit, Scott confessed all that was in his heart about this monumential man.

Many of those in the audience never got the chance to meet or see Dr. King’s effects on society personally and this was the only way that this part of the audience could feel his passion, his anguish and his unjustly suffering.

Throughout the speech, Scott told about Dr. King’s life and what circumstances brought him to compose his moving speeches, such as “I Have a Dream” and “Letters from Birmingham Jail.”

He conveyed the pain that blacks felt and still feel to this very day when unfairly referred to as a “nigger,” a word that should be thrown out of every language altogether.

Scott described himself as not a deeply religious man, but a very spiritual one none the less.

He shared how Dr. King’s actions gave him the courage to live and not be embarrassed by anything, including his skin color.

He shared the brief history of African Americans and all the hardships they had to endure.

He used scenarios to try to get non-blacks to understand the unfair and cruel treatment they had to endure on a daily basis and how one person can make a difference.

From the time Dr. King was born on Jan. 15, 1929 until the day he was assassinated by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968, Dr. King, a very intelligent man, strived to make a difference in everyone’s life no matter their race, religion or background.

He also attempted to ensure an equal life for all generations to come.

Scott is attempting to do the follow in Dr. King’s footsteps. He models his life by Dr. King’s simple motto, “Live life serving others.”

He told of pivotal moments in Dr King’s life that shaped the nation.

Scott gave a brief timeline about Dr. King’s life and presented a synopsis that sent chills throughout the room.

Before the synopsis, he shared a quote from Dr. King that he said just days before his assassination, “If anyone has to die, let it be me.”

What if the gun that fired the bullet that shot Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had not been shot? What would he be doing today? How much would life be different?

After his speech, Scott had a brief discussion time with members of the audience. He got down from the stage and interacted with them.

Scott approached random people in the audience and asked them three simple questions pertaining to how they feel, what they think and what they believe. He also asked questions about how they were affected by the actions of Dr. King.

Once the presentation was concluded, the audience then exited through the same doors they had entered in but were forever changed.

Scott left the audience with a final thought. “We’ve come a long way and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has helped us do that.” “Feeling is an emotional state. Thinking is a cerebral state. Believing is phenomenal. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Now go in peace.”