SUMMIT TOWNSHIP, MI (WSYM) - — At a time when many institutions are taking a closer look at racial issues, a local college is getting pressure over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Jackson College requires students to be in class that day.
The effort to try to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Jackson College has been going on for years. The Student Government Association said now's the time to act.
"I feel like the school, with a large African American population needs to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day," said Jazmyn Ragland, Jackson College student body president.
Jackson College's Student Government Association passed resolutions to get the college to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday twice, in 2017 and again in 2019.
Both times president Dr. Daniel Phelan rejected the proposal.
"It seemed a little shady to me because they wanted it a day on and not a day off," said Ashley Taylor, former student president.
Taylor wrote the latest proposal.
She said if the college isn't declaring MLK Day a holiday, she'd like to see more activities on campus.
Ragland said students should be able to choose how they honor MLK.
"It's really up to us to choose what we would like to do that day. It shouldn't be forced upon us," she said.
The college's Chief Diversity Lee Hampton said there are more opportunities to remember MLK with students on campus.
"Especially those in the educational realm have desire to have it as a day of education of race training, diversity training," said Hampton.
Jackson College only observes eight holidays year round; including spring, thanksgiving and winter breaks.
Ragland said most students support being able to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. in their own way.
Other campus groups are behind the plan, including the Men of Merit.
"This isn't just things going on in the world with Black Lives that we're trying to add this on. We're not trying to jump on the band wagon. We've been trying to approach this for years," Cornell Sample II, Jackson College Men of Merit.
The student government association says it will continue to try get Martin Luther King, Jr. observed as a holiday on campus.
Jackson College leaders plan to meet with students to come up with a solution.
