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 “It felt unreal walking around the galleries,” said Brandi Wilson ’07 after viewing the Atlanta History Center’s I Have a Dream exhibition featuring the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. “The way we’ve been taught about Martin Luther King, Jr., it seems unreal to see photos of him with his kids, to read his speeches and to see his handwriting. I feel like I know him now, since we studied him so much.”
Brandi’s study came through Dr. Kendra King’s spring 2006 course From Montgomery to Memphis: The Political Evolution of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. About 20 students experienced an in-depth study of the American icon while looking inward as well.
“Before I took this class, I was uncertain about what I wanted to do, like most college students,” Brandi said. “I’m the first person in my immediate family to go to college, so I want to do something that makes them proud. Through this class, I learned you can be great and serve.”
Brandi was one of a handful of students who presented some of their research and observations to the group of over 100 students, faculty and staff at the center on President’s Day.
“I knew his books and writings were here [at the History Center], but I didn’t know what to expect. I was blown away,” said Brandi. “The Center for Civic Engagement has done so much in such little time. Anything they do, I anticipate going to. They’ve been really great for Oglethorpe, bringing service together and reuniting the students.”
Originally from Simpsonville, South Carolina, Brandi remembers her college search. “When I first came to Oglethorpe, the sign outside the gate did it for me. The buildings, the quad, Hermance all lit up – it’s gorgeous. I love Atlanta, too!”
Since coming to Oglethorpe, Brandi has been an active campus member. She’s a psychology major, a member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and the organizer of the OU Play Group, a babysitting club. On top of that, Brandi formed HUGS (Helping UNICEF Grow Stronger), which is advised by Dr. Kendra King.
She hopes to earn her master’s in public health, focused on maternal and children’s health, after graduation. Brandi feels her purpose in life is to help children. “Every time I see those starving children in Africa on TV, it gets me. If someone would cover the expenses, I’d do the work for free,” she said. “I put ‘save children’ on the bottom of HUGS posters, and I mean it. If I could bring a busload over to bathe, clothe and feed them, I would. I can’t imagine denying any of that to a child.”
Thinking back on her MLK class, Brandi remembers that word spread across campus about the transformative nature of the course. “Fifteen other students came in for our final speeches,” she said. “I’m sure if [Dr. King taught] it again, the class would be overflowing.”
Read more about the Atlanta History Center's I Have a Dream exhibition.
Read more about Oglethorpe's Center for Civic Engagement.
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