Students hold a bright blue sign saying "Renewing His Vision: Dream Big" in the MLK march on Monday. The march began in the University Union and ended at the Dubois Center ball room. Chad Sexton / The Lumberjack

As the snow came down in giant wet flakes Monday afternoon, approximately 300 participants left the University Union on a march to the du Bois Center to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and attend the annual holiday event.

The first in a series of three storms to hit Flagstaff this week did not stop marchers from participating in NAU’s 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. Coffee, refreshments and a full sequence of events — hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) — were awaiting the marchers’ arrival at du Bois.

Julius Young began the festivities with an introduction welcoming Darnell Allen, who performed an invocation remembering King Jr. as the pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. The audience then stood up and participated in the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” performed by Kandyce Pierce and Angel Harlins.

NAU President John Haeger welcomed the audience by saying King Jr. was a supreme politician and a citizen of the world.

“[We are] celebrating a leader of enormous dimensions in U.S. history,” Haeger said as he closed his commemoration speech.

The program continued with many events and highlights, including a poem written by Keyon Allen and performed by Young. The First Missionary Baptist Church choir sang throughout the program, and the Harbert Chapel AME Church Praise Dance Team, the “D.I.V.A.s,” danced in black and white dresses.

As the award ceremony began, the Omega Delta Phi Service Award was given to Miguel, Marina and Jeronimo Vasquez; Outstanding BSU Member to Kevin Banks and Ashley Davids; BSU Service Award to Marqullia Robertson; and the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award to Sharese Shannon.

Robertson, president of the BSU, was on the verge of tears when she said she was surprised to receive the award.

“I didn’t really expect it,” Robertson said. “[The celebration is] a reflection of where I come from and where I am now.”

The event continued with another dance performance, followed by a historical Jesse Owens speech, a presentation, a poem by Maya Angelou and closing remarks by Robertson.

People lingered afterward to congratulate the recipients of awards, the program performers and the sponsors of the event.

Robertson said the turnout excited her despite the poor road and weather conditions.

“I’m very glad people came through the storm,” Robertson said.

Jeniffer Acevedo, a freshman international affairs major and member of Student Support Services, said the event meant more than just an annual celebration.

“For me, it’s keeping up with a tradition [and] remembering that we are all equal,” Acevedo said.

Jarrett Blackwater, president of Omega Delta Phi and a senior hotel and restaurant management and environmental science major, said the march exhibits the right of people of all ethnicities to equal education.

“We just want to show it’s just not the black generation affected by MLK Day,” Blackwater said.

Rich Bowen, NAU’s associate vice president of economic development, has only missed one march in the 10 years he has worked at NAU.

“I grew up on the Navajo reservation and have been attuned to the challenges people with color have faced for a long time,” Bowen said. “The principles espoused from Martin Luther King Jr. appeal to me.”