Ball State and Muncie's decision to collaborate for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance is a step forward. The combination of forces is evidence that the two entities have progressed a great deal since they began to coexist.
More impressive is the progress Ball State has recently made. Two years ago, Ball State canceled classes on the national holiday for the first time to celebrate King's memory.
However, telling Ball State students and staff not to come to school for one day was not enough. Something was missing: observers. Students took the holiday as an extended weekend and vacated campus, with few staying to participate in events. This year's effort serves as evidence that Ball State and Muncie are working together to remedy the problem.
Events like a presentation by Linda Brown Thompson and Cheryl Brown Henderson, figures in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court cases, could be some of the best Ball State holds this year.
While students, faculty, staff and Muncie residents observe the holiday, they should remind themselves of where Muncie was just 50 years ago: in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement.
It is encouraging that the memory of this civil rights leader can bring Ball State and Muncie together, even if for only one day. However, this effort should not end Tuesday morning. To keep Ball State and Muncie moving forward, both have to continue to work together. Though this is a step in the right direction, we all still have a long way to go.222.-¦,:o_editorial_01.16.04DNEditorial222+â-+h.-º2AUDT
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