When the Dream Looks Up: Florida A&M University Honors King During 2026 Convocation
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M University gathered its extended Rattler family on Friday, Jan. 16, for the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, filling Lee Hall Auditorium with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members united in remembrance and reflection.
Held in one of the University’s most historic spaces, the annual convocation served as both a tribute to Dr. King’s legacy and a call to action rooted in scholarship and service. The program reflected the fullness of the FAMU experience, where academic rigor and cultural consciousness merge.
Student leadership anchored the convocation in the present and future. Kennedy Williams, Student Government Association vice president, delivered the occasion reflecting on the responsibility students bear as beneficiaries
of Dr. King’s sacrifice and as stewards of his unfinished work.
SGA Vice President Kennedy Williams spoke about the students responsibility to ensure
that MLK's dream is not only realized for all but continues. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
“We gather at Florida A&M University as the culmination of the dreams, sacrifices, and prayers of those who came before us. Those who were denied access, silenced, and excluded, yet never stopped believing in our possibility,” said Williams. “Because of them, we stand here today. And because of them, it is our duty to represent them well. To lead with integrity. To pursue excellence with caring. And to ensure that our education, our voices, and our actions continue to bend the moral arc toward justice.”
The moment was especially poignant as SGA President and University Trustee Zayla Bryant presided over convocation for the final time on Lee Hall stage before her May graduation.
President Marva Johnson, J.D., presents Zayla Bryant, SGA president, with the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Student Leadership Award (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
Taking the podium, President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., framed Dr. King’s legacy not as distant history, but as an active mandate.
“What a blessing to be gathered here this morning in this sacred hall to honor a man whose legacy continues to challenge us, to inspire us, and to call us to action every day,” she said.
President Johnson showcased visible enthusiasm for the packed audience before reminding
students, faculty, and staff alike that: "Fifty-eight years ago, Dr. King was taken
from us. But his dream did not die with him. His vision of a belove community, where
every person is treated with dignity and judged by the content of their character,
that vision lives on.,” she said. "It lives on in HBCUs like Florida A&M University.
And it lives on in you, in every Rattler who chooses service over self and leads with
integrity."
President Marva Johnson, J.D., acknowledged the sanctity of hosting the MLK Convocation
in one of the oldest and revered buildings on campus, Lee Hall. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
Advancing that charge, she urged the campus community to carry Dr. King’s mantle forward, “not as a memory, but as a mission.”
Speaking directly to students, she commanded them to lead with courage, compassion and the confidence that comes from being Rattlers. She then shifted her focus to faculty and staff, thanking them for pouring into the next generation of leaders. "And to our entire FAMUly: Let us recommit ourselves to building Beloved Community right here, on this campus, and beyond.”
In closing, President Johnson returned to Dr. King’s words, saying: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
The keynote address was delivered by Elder Darrick McGhee Sr., founding pastor of Bible Based Church and a proud FAMU alumnus from the Class of 2000. Returning “home” to the Hill after 25 years, McGhee spoke directly to what he called the dreamers: first-generation students, visionaries, and those who dare to see beyond their current circumstances.
“It is an honor, a privilege, and a blessing to be back home again,” McGhee said,
acknowledging President Marva B. Johnson, the Board of Trustees, and the campus community
before centering his message on what he called “the dreamers.” Speaking directly to
first-generation students and those who dare to imagine beyond their present circumstances,
McGhee shared his own journey as the first in his family to attend college.
Elder Darrick D. McGhee, Sr., gave a moving address that spoke directly to the "dreamers"
of FAMU. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
“Today, I want to have a conversation with dreamers,” McGhee said. “I want to talk to those people others think are weird. They don’t understand what you’re talking about. They think you space out. But you believe beyond what you’re currently seeing.”
Speaking directly to first-generation students, McGhee made clear that he stood in familiar territory. “Like you, I was and still am that dreamer,” he said. “I’m the first in my family to go to college. I’m the first one to leave home and believe there was something greater beyond my mother’s front steps.”
McGhee invoked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words from the March on Washington in 1963. “Dr. King said, ‘When we allow freedom to ring… we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words that old Negro spiritual free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.’”
Acknowledging doubt and disbelief many students face, McGhee pressed forward. “For some of you, people may not believe you can actually do what you’re trying to do,” he said. “But I’ve come to tell you, look out — because in front of you is opportunity. In front of you is access. In front of you are relationships.”
(Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
Throughout his remarks, McGhee returned to a three-part charge: look out, look up, and listen up. He then turned the lens squarely on the power of the FAMU network. “When you meet a Rattler,” McGhee said, “that Rattler is obligated to help you excel. Look out. Because on some steps, on a porch or where you may go, there is someon who needs you to look out,” he said.
McGhee let the students know that their success is not solely about them, but about those who are watching. He emphasized that their success paves a way for others to move forward.
McGhee then shifted to April 3, 1968, recalling Dr. King’s final speech at Mason Temple in Memphis on the eve of his assassination at the Lorraine Motel. Quoting directly, he reminded the audience that King acknowledged uncertainty without surrender.
“‘I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead,’” McGhee recited. “‘But it doesn’t matter what happens now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop.’”
McGhee noted that while King spoke of valuing longevity, he ultimately placed purpose over self-preservation, declaring that he had “seen the Promised Land” and was unafraid of what lay ahead because his eyes had seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
FAMU University Gospel Choir moved the audience our of their seats with powerful renditions
of "Total Praise" by Richard Smallwood and "We Shall Overcome." (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
“That’s for every dreamer in here. If you look out, then look up,” he said. Because there’s a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on — people who bore the scars, endured the pain, so you could have a chance to sit in this room today.”
He told the audience do not take for granted that somebody is out there who would love to have their seats, so keep pressing forward.
In an illustrative moment of his address, McGhee shared the story of a young runner competing in a race under dense fog, struggling to breathe and falling behind. “She kept telling herself, ‘Just stay close to third place because if I get that close, maybe I can finish with the last kick around that last 100,’” he said.
McGhee shared that even as the fog and difficulty remained, the runner continued, guided by a voice urging her forward.
When she finally crossed the finish line in first place, reporters asked how she did it. “She said, ‘I just ran to my daddy’s voice,’” McGhee said. He then translated the story’s meaning directly to the students before him. “After you look out, after you look up — listen up. Because when things are dark and the fog is heavy and life seems uncertain, there are people cheering you on and telling you, ‘You got this, baby. Keep going.’”
James Moran, Ph.D., director of pharmacy engagement at FAMU, bears a striking resemblance
to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and gave a special performance of King's famous "I
Have a Dream" speech. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
With the audience fully engaged, McGhee underscored the stakes of perseverance and belief. “You didn't come here to fail. You didn't come here to let us. Graduation is possible. Life is possible. You're not weird, you're a dreamer. You're not crazy. You are a dreamer. You believe in the possibility that there is something out there.”
As he moved toward his closing, McGhee offered one final caution and encouragement. “One thing about dreamers, don’t wake up too soon,” he said. “You might abort what you’re trying to birth. So, keep going forth and keep pressing.”
Before leaving the podium, he marked the significance of the moment by calling attention to the day itself, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, then said:
“And this boy from California just came to talk to dreamers and tell you, we ain’t
crazy. We’re just dreaming. God bless y’all.”
President Marva Johnson, J.D., presents Elder Derrick McGhee, Sr., with the President's
Award. (Photo by Glenn Beil/FAMU)
Media Contact:
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu
