While Monday, January 19, will be recognized nationally as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it will also mark the first day of °IJʿ’s annual “MLK Week,” celebrating the life and legacy of the civil rights movement leader.
The opening ceremony at noon Monday in Memorial Chapel will feature performances by a capella groups the °IJʿ Thirteen and the Mantiphondrakes, and a performance of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by °IJʿ’s spoken-word group Poetically Minded. Tom Bennett ’72, of the National Abolition Hall of Fame, will also speak.
Kori Strother ’15 will give the event’s keynote. Strother is a captain on the women’s track and field team, a co-vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, an intern with LGBTQ initiatives, and a community leader with the Office of Residential Life.
Join in
A full schedule for the weeklong event series is available at , as well as on the °IJʿ Mobile app, available for and devices.
Throughout the rest of the week there will be opportunities for students and members of the °IJʿ community to attend a number of lectures and performances, including the week’s keynote address by civil rights activist, author, and sociologist Joyce Ladner. Her address, which will be given at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Chapel, is titled “Freedom Summer and Beyond: The Roles of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement.”
The observances for the week will conclude with an afternoon of community service on Friday, sponsored by the .