KC HOSTS PUBLIC LECTURE AND WORKSHOP AS PART OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OBSERVANCE

Kaskaskia College

618-545-3000

27210 College Rd., Centralia, IL

https://www.kaskaskia.edu/

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Kaskaskia College hosted a public lecture and workshop Tuesday, led by educator, motivational speaker, and school leader, Dr. Tron Young.

During his lecture, Dr. Young, a Centralia native and KC graduate, discussed how Dr. King served his country, and ultimately the world, through sacrifice and conviction in the face of great injustice. Dr. Young described Dr. King as a “thermostat leader”, noting that he, like a thermostat, was able to not only read the temperature of his environment but impact it for the better.”

“Dr. King was a thermostat, not a thermometer. Take a moment and think about that. What is the different between a thermostat and a thermometer? A thermometer reflects the temperature in the room...a thermostat sets, a thermostat controls, a thermostat impacts the environment around it.” Dr. Young said. “Great people, intentional people, thermostat setters, decide in advance who they want to be and what they want to create,” Young continued. “They set the tone, they adjust the energy, they regulate the environment, they are thermostats.”

'Dr. Young continued, “However, let me be very clear - there was a cost for his courage. Dr. King was arrested 29 times. Dr. King had his house bombed. Dr. King received death threats daily. Dr. King was labeled a troublemaker. Dr. King lost friends, he lost support, and in the end, he lost his life. Why? Because thermostat leadership is expensive. It costs a lot. It costs comfort, popularity, approval, and safety. But that thermostat leadership changed the world.”

Dr. Young asked those in attendance to consider how they were using their access and platforms, adding that Dr. King was a young adult in his late twenties and thirties when changed the world and encouraging the KC student body in attendance to be thermostat setters themselves.

“Let me ask you - what are you doing with your access and opportunity? Access without action is opportunity wasted,” Dr. Young said, later stating, “As thermostat setters, you have to know your worth. Thermostat setters don’t wait for permission, they don’t shrink, they don’t apologize for their greatness. They live it and let the world catch up. Dr. King leveraged his thermostat leadership, and now it’s your turn.”

“You don’t need a march to lead. You can change climates when you tutor someone, when you mentor kids, when you serve your community, when you stand up in class, when you vote, when you start a business, when you speak out against injustices,” Dr. Young continued. “Thermostats don’t complain, they change the room. What room will you change?”

Dr. Young’s lecture was followed by a lunch and interactive lecture with students.