Below freezing temperatures didn’t stop about 50 people from participating in the 13th Annual MLK March Thursday afternoon.

A chilling breeze came through the doors of Stevenson North as participants assembled in the lobby, but no one complained.

“I didn’t care how cold it was going to be, I was going to march,” said senior management major Rachel S. Turner, president of Believing in Culture, one of the many organizations that participated in the march.

“We always supported the march,” she said. “It’s a tradition and a good event.”

Another group supporting the event was the Northern Black Choir.

“Martin Luther King Jr. basically made a gateway for a lot of African-Americans,” said Careese Kearney, a sophomore journalism major and member of the Northern Black Choir. “A lot of us wouldn’t be able to attend college or make our dreams come true without his influence.”

As the participants marched to the MLK Commons, some linked arms, while others sang in honor of King.

History graduate student Anna Schaber carried a sign that read “Give peace a chance.” Schaber has been using the sign for six months at various peace events.

“There’s tons of different ways people can stand up for what they believe in,” Schaber said.

The marchers went down Lucinda Avenue and into the Holmes Student Center turnaround before stopping in the Commons.

Associate Vice President of Human Resources Steve Cunningham participates in the march every year.

“It’s very important,” Cunningham said. “It symbolizes diversity and all the struggles our society has been through.”

After the march, people gathered at the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium to honor King.

Student Association President Kevin Miller gave a speech on the importance of King’s leadership.

“We’re continuing on that path to realize his dream and fulfill that quest for equality for all people,” Miller said.

The Northern Black Choir then performed a few songs before the keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr, arrived.

Wright spoke about color lines in terms of education. He told how African-American children are subject-oriented, while Euro-American children are object-oriented.

“Different does not mean deficient,” Wright said.

Wright then talked about differences in African music and ways of communication compared to European models.

“You have to look at African origins to understand African theology,” Wright said.

Wright received two rounds of applause from the audience after his presentation.

“I thought he touched on a lot of things people wouldn’t think about in college,” said Timothy Butler, a junior music education major.