Actress Jasmine Guy will be the keynote speaker at USI’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Luncheon.

The luncheon will start at 11 a.m. Monday in Carter Hall.

Chelsea Brown grew up watching Guy play Whitley Gilbert in “A Different World.”

Brown, 2013 fall graduate and part-time worker at the Multicultural Center, has gone to several of the MLK Luncheons.

“You get to see that these people are real people,” she said. “It gives you insight to them.”

Guy is most commonly known for her role as Whitley Gilbert on the “The Cosby Show” spinoff, “A Different World.” She won six consecutive NAACP awards for that role.

Brown plans on going to the luncheon again.

“Students should see it as motivation that a regular person can do anything they want,” she said. “I’m going to see a different take on this person’s life.”

The MLK Luncheon allows students to see a glimpse of their past, said Pamela Hopson, Multicultural Center director.

“Even though it hasn’t been so long ago, young people are so far removed from that time,” she said.

Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for what he believed in, Hopson said.

“We’re talking about equality. Student(s) can’t grasp that concept,” Hopson said. “It’s important to keep in our minds. We want to pass the torch. It’s our responsibility to help them understand their history.”

A book signing with Guy will be at 12:30 p.m. Her books are available at the USI Campus Store.

Hopson suggests buying them beforehand because it lets students get in line faster, she said.

From 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., Guy will be available for a short, personal meeting where students can ask her questions.

MLK Luncheon tickets cost $15, and they will be available in the Multicultural Center in UC East.