On October 17, 2019, Jackson State University celebrated its 142nd Founders' Day Convocation. The auditorium was filled with professors, deans, chairpersons, students of Jackson State University, and all people that supported it. The convocation was started by the prelude presented by the Jackson State University Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Darryl E. Harris. After the prelude, the Jackson State University Orchestra continued and presented the processional. Watching and hearing the orchestra at that time was something special for me and everyone that have an appreciation for instrumental music. Francis Key sang the national anthem with a jaw-dropping performance and voice. Followed by the national anthem, one of our own students sang Lift Every Voice and Sing or also known as the Negro National Anthem. Lift Every Voice and Sing was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The reason it was written was to celebrate Lincoln's birthday. After all, he was the man who helped African Americans to free themselves from slavery.
In the invocation, Rev. Kevin Kosh, Jr led us with prayer, Grant Broadway welcomed us to the ceremony, and Naysa Lynch presented her phenomenal speech. Grant Broadway, also known as Mr. Jackson State University, a health major, mentioned how proud he was of the sonic boom and how he has much respect for Jackson States' history, in his welcoming speech. I was not surprised by Grants' love for Jackson State. After all, he is Mr. Jackson State University. Followed by Grants welcoming speech, Naysa Lynch, also known as Miss Jackson State University, presented The Occasion. Naysa reminded us that Jackson State University was not built in one night, but it took years of hard work to accomplish what we have now and that we must respect what our predecessors did. She also admonished us that even if we came a long way, we still have a long way to go. Her speech was very inspiring and opened our minds. Directed by Dr. Loretta, Jackson State University Chorale sang, 'I Thank you, Jesus.' The song was very pleasing and showed off the talents that lie in each member of the chorale. After the song, the long-awaited guest speaker, Yolanda Owens, was introduced by her nephew Carmen Owens, a very bright young lady that is already thinking about her career and college experience.
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Yolanda R. Owens is a proud graduate of Jackson State University. During her time at Jackson State, she was a member of W. E. B. Du Bois honors college student majoring in mathematics. After graduation, she became a member of the Jackson State University National Alumni Association and later got the title of the eighteenth president of the association. Mrs. Owens love and her vision for Jackson State allowed her to do a plethora of amazing things. She is also a fourth-generation student in her family. Her father was a member of the Jackson State band or also known as Sonic Boom of The South. Yolanda's speech was inspiring and very catching. She talked about the history, purpose, and future of Jackson State University; Jackson State is lucky to have her as one of its alumni. In her speech, she reflected on her favorite movie Black Panther. She recalled a scene in the movie in which a challenger dared to challenge the king of Wakanda; while the battle was in progress, the king's mother shouted:' Show them who you are.' Yolanda repeated what the king's mother said three times. She told the audience to show them who they are, in other words, to show them what they can so no one should underestimate them. She then told us in order to do that, we must first know who we are. She motivated, inspired, and lectured us with those words, and we did not even recognize them. After motivating us a bit, she moved on to her reflections on one of the past Jackson State Presidents, John A. Peoples Jr. Yolanda said that John was her favorite Jackson State President because he managed Jackson States' budget right, and he fought for Jackson State University during the civil rights period. She told us that Jackson State University is a University that started from scratch, literally from 20 newly freed slaves. She reminded us that we came a long way and we have a bright future in front of us.
After Yolanda's astonishing speech, we heard from our own current Jackson State president, Dr. William Bynum Jr. He gave us a spirit and words of encouragement. He then told us his reflections on Jackson State University's foundation. He said' Even if Jackson state is founded near a cemetery, I don't see a cemetery, I see a birthplace'; When he said that, it was clear his words were really thoughtful, he told us that Jackson State is not a place where untalented people come from, but were talented and educated individuals rise to conquer the world. He transferred his message in a very abstract way. After our president enlighted us, Dr. Robert Luckett presented the acknowledgments. Dr. Robert acknowledged many people, including one of Jackson State's family members that just passed away three weeks ago. Rev Kevin Kosh Jr then closed us with prayer, concluding the convocation. After the convocation ended, an enormous quantity of students ran to exist like they were freed from prison.
This was the first Jackson State University Founders' Day Convocation I ever attend, and I have no regrets about it. Even if attending it was not an option, I enjoyed being there. I loved everything about the convocation, especially the orchestra and choral. Listening to those speeches made me learn a lot about Jackson State and encouraged me to learn more as time passes. The preparation, the setup, and everything about the convocation were great. I look forward to the next founders' day; hopefully, there will be fantastic guest speakers, good music by the orchestra and choral, and more.
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