Civic leader tells MLC students about ‘two worlds’

NEW ULM -- Students and faculty at Martin Luther College convened at the campus Chapel of the Christ and Auditorium to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honor the legacy of the civil rights leader Monday.

The observance featured a presentation from keynote speaker Greg Patterson, the Board of Education chairman at St. Philip's Lutheran School in Milwaukee. Patterson is also an established community leader in Milwaukee and president and CEO of Great Lakes Training and Consulting.

Patterson provided an African-American perspective of civil rights and culture with his presentation, "The Measure of a Person." He also detailed King's life, achievements and contributions to the civil rights movement.

He said the goal of Monday's presentation is to honor the legacy of King by offering his own experiences to those attending the observance.

"I've had a wide range of experiences cross-culturally," he said. "One of the things that happens if you are an African-American in business is you have to learn to be what's called bicultural. This means you can exist in the world that's white as well as the world that's black. Because they're totally different."

Patterson said his experience within the two cultures provides him with the ability to bridge the gap between different cultures to provide a mutual understanding and improve community relations.

"By my ability to translate that into things that other people understand, I could help them do exactly the same thing," he said. "If you have a teacher that comes to St. Philip's from here [Martin Luther College] that's white, she's going to have to be bicultural. If I can help her with that, then that's all the better."

Patterson highlighted the importance of teachers and the impact they have on their students' lives and beliefs, regardless of background. He said having a broad understanding of differing perspectives, particularly from students, can help teachers become better educators and in turn create better students.

"If you can think about what that other person might be thinking about you, it helps you bridge the gap," he said. "It helps you understand the perspective that they may have about what you're saying. Especially if you are a teacher."

In 1964, at age 11, Patterson participated in a protest against segregated housing in Milwaukee. He said the city was racially cut in two by a bridge, with the south side being predominately white and the north side predominately black. He said the bridge existed as a metaphorical divide between the city, and protesters marched across to send a message.

"So we marched across the bridge to make that point- along with Dr. King," he said during the presentation. "But we ran back because it was actually really dangerous."

Before Patterson's presentation, Mark Zarling, president of Martin Luther College, led a special chapel service. During the service, Zarling called upon people worldwide to unify, forget their differences -- cultural or racial -- and realize their full potential as human beings.

Gage Cureton can be emailed at gcureton@nujournal.com.