Photo by: Jacob Rokeach

More than 110 people, approximately 45 percent of whom were students, convened in the Driscoll Ballroom for an event called “a dream come true.”

The event was a luncheon and panel discussion on civil rights.

Provost Gregg Kvistad began the luncheon by welcoming students and community members.

He challenged those in attendance to “think about what [your] responsibilities are” in order to create diversity.

Judge Craig Shaffer, a U.S. magistrate in Denver, was the first speaker.

Shaffer had worked as a federal prosecutor and with the FBI in numerous hate crime cases throughout the South before becoming a federal judge.

Shaffer stated that “in 45 years, progress has been made, [but] not all the progress possible, or as fast as many would like”.

Shaffer’s most meaningful story was that of 1979 Decator, Alabama in which “a group of blacks tried to march in the streets” of the city when 75 armed Klansmen began walking toward them.

When police officers secured a path for the marchers, the police were also attacked by the Klansmen.

Shaffer successfully prosecuted this case and has been involved in diversity initiatives in Colorado since arriving as a federal judge.

Kinette Richards, a school psychiatrist in the Cherry Creek school district spoke next.

She has focused on equality for students of color for over ten years.

Richards spoke of the unequal amounts of students of color in lower level classes and in disciplinary situations.

She gave as an example the role models students are shown.

When school custodians and lunch staff are overwhelmingly people of color, students do not have much to aspire towards.

Brother Jeff Fard was the third and final speaker.

Fard has worked to raise AIDS awareness and is the founder of the Brother Jeff Cultural Center and CafCB) in Denver.

Fard discussed the fact that there has been a lot of recognized change.

“My grandmother was called colored, my mother was called negro, I was called black, and my children are called African-American. Don’t tell me there hasn’t been progress,” he said.

Fard told attendees about the growing problem in America’s neighborhoods.

When he grew up life was based on compassion and activism, but in the mid ’80s, neighborhoods fell to gangs and drugs.

“It’s the first time elders are afraid of young people,” Fard stated.

“Dr. King was much more than ‘I have a dream,'” Fard said he taught about militarism and poverty. “Dr. King was a global citizen.”

Panelists fielded questions from the audience about such topics as a change in language about equality and changes in Affirmative Action.

Co-chair Tony Daniels, Associate Athletic Director for Diversity and Community Relations, expressed that the planning committee did a “great job of focusing on the University community and bringing the outside community in” and that the week’s events put the University of Denver “on the map” for Martin Luther King celebrations.