Hilbert College hosted an event celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with key note speaker Bishop Roderick Hennings delivering remarks to the campus community.

Hennings delivered an impassioned speech, urging students to try to heal the many divides that exist today in American culture, a reference to the aspirations of King.

“America is still divided,” Hennings said. “And what’s changing the culture is your generation.”

He told the crowd in Swan Auditorium that it is up to them to take advantage of the opportunity they have to make the world a better place.

“If we’re really going to have reconciliation, if we’re really going to change the backdrop of the world, we have to cross ethnic cultures.

Jamal Harris, the president of the Black Student Union, told his fellow students that message he often pulls from King’s teachings is to always hold onto hope, no matter how difficult things may seem.

“College is going to be one of the best times of your life,” Harris said. “You’re going to go through some unbelievably high, highs and with that some lows,” Harris said. “But those lows will not last forever. There is light at the end of the tunnel and for the sake of this generation, you must chose to hold onto hope.”

Dr. Deidre Debose, the college’s vice president of mission and equity, said she thought the program brought a great message to an increasingly diverse campus.

“In a addition to diversity we must have inclusion,” Debose said. “It doesn’t make sense to get a diverse group of people together without making sure we find ways to connect and make sure they are validated and heard and respected.”