Edward Stewart believes segregation still exists at Eastern.

The Alpha Phi Alpha member sets up an annual candlelight march across Eastern’s campus honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and believes the march can change that.

He said the event brings the entire Eastern community closer together — not just blacks.

“We have a lot of different people come out,” Stewart said. “King’s message was for Hispanics, Asians and other minorities too. I’d love to see just a bigger population there, the color doesn’t matter.”

But Stewart sees more room for the annual event to grow.

When Stewart began organizing the event in 2000, nearly 100 participated in the event. The number ballooned to over 200 last year and more than 75 marched Monday.

The event concluded with a short program at the Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union that included a question and answer session. The president of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity led the session. King was a member of the fraternity.

“I’d like to see more people ask questions at that,” Stewart said. “But people don’t because they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. We want to get things moving and get people talking about this.”

The march isn’t just for students, and that has been the design of the event since its inception over a decade ago.

Stewart said many members of the Charleston and Mattoon communities are involved.

“We do this every year because it comes down to getting the message sent out there,” Stewart said.

“People feel they need to celebrate (King’s) life and his struggles. This is really the most important event we do all year.”

Nationwide, Martin Luther King, Jr. is becoming more widely celebrated. Arizona recently decided to recognize the holiday and a push for a national King memorial in Washington, D.C.

“This is a nationwide celebration,” Stewart said. “Even in states where it isn’t officially recognized people celebrate it. This holiday grows bigger each year, and we hope that continues.”

Stewart said everyone can remember King in their own way, and he hopes that everyone takes time to do so during the holiday.

“We hope this march can help people remember his legacy,” Stewart said. “We’re proud to offer this opportunity.”