What is your dream?
“The ‘I have a Dream’ campaign is about students getting to know each other, to change each other, to make UNC a more welcoming place.’’
Junior Tafadzwa “Taf” Matika has a dream that all males of color who enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill will graduate within four years.
Jeremy Mckellar has a dream that solidarity will eclipse all races, gender and ethnic backgrounds.
Lauren Song dreams of being a journalist spreading truth and justice. Briana Echols dreams of studying corporate and entertainment law to help enfranchise tomorrow’s black leaders.
Carolina student Valerie Christine Sauer participated in the “I Have a Dream” campaign at UNC-Chapel Hill.
And they all have another dream, too: that you will share yours.
“The ‘I have a Dream’ campaign is about students getting to know each other, to change each other, to make UNC a more welcoming place,’’ said Matika, the leader behind the internet photo campaign that provides a forum for Carolina students to take photographs of themselves with pictures that spell out their dreams. “Anyone at this University — regardless of their background and appearances — has the potential to be an agent of positive change. And it begins with asking: what are your dreams?”
Matika, who is originally from Zimbabwe, began drafting the idea for the campaign last year. He wrote a 10-page proposal with ideas about how to make a positive change on campus. After speaking to the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Committee, the ‘I Have a Dream’ campaign was born.
Carolina student Toyosi Oyelowo participated in the “I Have a Dream” campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The campaign is comprised of two stages. Currently, the ‘I Have a Dream’ team – which also includes junior Marty Davidson, junior Briana Echols, freshman Samuel Lee, senior Omar White, sophomore Jiabing (Lauren) Song, junior Jeremy McKellar, senior Gabrielle Gaje and senior Rachel Tates — is asking students to share their dreams via photos and white boards on Facebook and Tumblr.
In the coming weeks, Phase Two begins: the best posted photos, judged by a campaign team panel and evaluated on creativity and the number of “likes” on social media, will be displayed as part of a gallery open to the public at the Student Union beginning Jan. 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This and other events are part of UNC’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration that will feature a keynote lecture by Angela Davis, films, panels and more.
Carolina students hope others will share their dreams as a way to get to know others and make UNC a more welcoming place.
“Not everyone is going to have a platform like Martin Luther King, Jr., had, but that doesn’t mean what they have to say is worth any less,’’ said Davidson. “The plan is to expose more people’s ideas of the future, to give them an opportunity to share whatever is on their mind and hopefully to inspire others to share their dreams too.”
So far, 350 photos have been submitted to the ‘I Have a Dream’ campaign.
“One of our goals is to continue the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, his vision of inclusiveness and equality,” Matika said. “Those are ideals we all ought to pursue. The more inclusive and supportive our campus is, the better … because it will help us better raise a generation of more impactful citizens. A generation that will share, and realize, their dreams.”
