AAMU Professor Explores the Relevance of King's Legacy

As Alabama A&M University prepares to host its annual MLK Day Celebration on Tuesday, January 14, the campus reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s enduring influence in 2025. What lessons can today’s students draw from his legacy? What challenges remain in keeping his mission alive? Dr. Emerald Jones, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Program Coordinator in the Department of Social Science provides some insight.

“When you walk into any classroom, what you see is diversity," said Jones. "You see people of all colors sitting in the same lecture room learning historical and contemporary literature – that’s Dr. King’s impact."

Jones says King's enduring legacy - along with that of the Civil Rights Movemeny - is often overlooked in everyday life. 

“Think about your daily routine of grocery shopping and traveling," she says. "All that is made possible because of his dream of a better day and life. That is what his impact focused on, and in 2025 we need to remember even more how crucial it still is.”

An HBCU graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. King's storied life of change-making spanned throughout the South and finds several connections to students who call AAMU and Alabama home. King had been pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, slightly more than a year when the city’s small group of civil rights advocates decided to contest racial segregation on that city’s public bus system.

Through the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King emerged as the leader of a movement that brought sweeping changes to political attention to life in Southern cities and towns. Jones says she integrates Dr. King’s teachings deeply into her work with students.

“Most of my classes center on understanding the systemic and systematic oppressions that Black people faced and continue to face today,” she explains. “We focus on prominent Black leaders that helped not only pave the way, but also gave me a voice to continue to hone in on their legacy and keep their mission and values alive."

“I pride myself on teaching MLK’s work beyond the surface-level understanding that so many individuals know. We take a deep dive into the ‘Why’ and what motivated him to take the road as an activist and leader despite the harm he faced. It is my duty as a professor to teach and continue to uplift Dr. King so that generations long after me remember his name and work.”

Jones also acknowledges there are challenges in keeping Dr. King’s mission alive.

“With all the technological advances and how much information is easily and readily available, society as a whole tends to forget the importance of historical leaders who made this progress possible," she says. “That’s why I stress that keeping Dr. King’s legacy alive has to be immersed across generations. Teaching his work not only in classrooms but also in homes and communities is vital so we don’t forget the strides he took for us to enjoy our ‘day off’ in his honor. It’s more than that – it’s deeper. His history is enriched with other individuals who gave their lives to uphold his beliefs. It is our duty to face these challenges and ensure his legacy remains a priority.”

In addressing how students can bring Dr. King’s message to life today, Jones is direct.

“We’ve seen social movements like Black Lives Matter protest the lives of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, and countless others," she said. "With systemic racism and discrimination still prevalent in the criminal justice system and the mass incarceration of Black men and women for nonviolent offenses, it’s clear we need Dr. King’s message now more than ever. That’s why and how students can bring MLK’s message to life in today’s world."

MLK Day Celebration at AAMU 

Alabama A&M University will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at its annual MLK Day Celebration on Tuesday, January 14, at 12:30 p.m. in Buchanan Hall Auditorium. The public is invited to hear the keynote address by Dr. Clarence Sutton, Superintendent of Huntsville City Schools and watch the University Choir perform.

This year’s MLK Day theme, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365,” draws inspiration from Dr. King’s enduring work and the legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King.