- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – University Administrator Dr. F. Carl Walton used the hero in Quentin Tarantino’s hit movie, “Django Unchained,” to illustrate that students must be prepared for the right moment to realize their dreams.
Dr. F. Carl Walton, vice president for Student Affairs, delivers keynote address at University’s annual MLK Jr. convocation. Photo by Victor Laporte.
Walton’s speech, entitled, “Your Dream Unchained,” was part of the University’s annual MLK Jr. Convocation at its International Cultural Center on Thursday, Jan. 24. The convocation also featured the University Gospel Choir’s rendition of “I Am What You See” arranged by Bishop Paul S. Morton.
“When his (Django’s) moment came, he was prepared for that moment,” said Dr. Walton, who is vice president for Student Affairs. “Are you ready for your ‘Django moment’?”
Set in the South two years before the Civil War, “Django Unchained” stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose freedom is bought by German-born dentist turned bounty hunter, who uses him as a guide while also training and employing him as a bounty hunter. In exchange, the dentist promises to help, Django free his wife, Broomhilda – his one goal. She is in the possession of an infamous plantation owner.
“LU provides us with an opportunity to pursue an education,” said Walton, who encouraged students to prepare for their destiny through pursuing their education, finding a support group, and adopting a no fear attitude as Dr. King had done. “It can be difficult preparing for your destiny.”
King, he explained, was trained to be a Baptist preacher and was trained by theologians, which gave him credibility to become the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and subsequently, the Civil Rights Movement.
He also added that Dr. King surrounded himself with Reverends Ralph Abernathy, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and Joseph Lowery.
Dr. King, who also had a connection to the University, gave the Commencement Address, entitled, “The American Dream,” and was also awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree on June 6, 1961.
Walton also warned students to avoid from things that may block their dreams, such as the misuse of social media, which more and more employers now review when making hiring decisions.
“It means a lot to me to be going to the same university where Dr. King once spoke,” said Junior Computer Science major Bilal Key. ”His legacy will be with us forever.”
Lincoln University of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, founded in 1854 as the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), combines the elements of a liberal arts and science-based undergraduate curriculum along with select graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly-technological and global society. Today, the University enrolls a diverse student body of approximately 2,000 men and women. Internationally recognized for preparing and producing world class leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Lillian Fishburne, the first African American woman promoted to Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Langston Hughes, the noted poet, Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria.