KENNESAW, Ga (AP) – Some student groups at one of Georgia’s largest universities say an executive of a defense contractor should not be speaking at Thursday’s school-sponsored Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon.
The Kennesaw State University students say his involvement goes against the civil rights leader’s anti-war legacy and his message of nonviolence.
The school says the MLK Legacy Luncheon speaker will be Roderick McLean, a vice president at Lockheed Martin.
The university says the event is intended to honor King’s legacy. But a statement from KSUnited and local civil rights leaders says the choice of speaker shows KSU’s support of war.
The students are planning an alternative event.