Attendees of a UF forum Thursday night discussed remaining work to be done to achieve Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous dream.
The forum, sponsored by UF's Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity as a part of UF's weeklong celebration of King, was called, "Has The Dream Been Realized."
The debate featured a three-person panel that discussed four dicey topics with a packed house in Reitz Union Room 282. About 130 students attended.
Students, fraternity members and panelists debated on minority scholarships in education; the quality of popular TV shows and hip-hop music; and the possible implications of the 2008 election.
Vanessa Goodwin, Student Body vice president and one of the panelists, said this generation has been taught to view King as a civil rights leader, but people often overlook the fact that the core of his message - equality - could be achieved through love.
"In love, equality is there," Goodwin said. "We skipped that step of loving each other."
Kenneth Nunn, a UF law professor and panelist who recalled watching the "I Have a Dream" speech live on TV, said images of King in today's society as a "good kid on the block" misrepresent him.
King was a leader who called for love but also wanted social change, Nunn said.
"I think the most important thing for us to do is to study the man, go back, read what he was talking about," Nunn said.
"Then we'll have a better sense of where we are."
As a part of UF's King celebration, a healthcare forum, called "A Right Delayed is a Right Denied," will be held tonight ay 7:30 at the Graham Hall Gallery.
