Honoring King’s legacy at CMU
Students, faculty and staff invited to participate in events, activities throughout the week
More than 50 years after his "I Have a Dream" speech, the words and leadership of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continue to inspire millions around the globe, including those at Central Michigan University.
For more than 20 years, CMU has honored the national MLK holiday — Monday, Jan. 21, this year — by uniting for a day of service and a weeklong series of celebration and reflection events
Nearly 800 people are expected to attend the annual CommUnity Peace Brunch in Finch Fieldhouse, where they will hear from CMU's Gospel Choir, finalists in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest, members of the Multicultural Academic Student Services staff and students from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Cheryl Brown Henderson, the 2019 keynote speaker, is one of three daughters of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, who filed a lawsuit against his local board of education in 1950. The lawsuit, known as Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was a landmark case in the civil rights movement: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in the following events:
Monday, Jan. 21
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CommUnity Peace Brunch: 9:30 a.m., Finch Fieldhouse.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, hosted by the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center: noon, Bovee University Center.
- CommUnity Peace March and Vigil: 3 p.m., University Center.
Tuesday, Jan. 22
- Night of Reflection, hosted by The Motions and Collective Action for Cultural Unity: 7 p.m., University Center Auditorium.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. keynote speaker Cheryl Brown Henderson: 7 p.m., Staples Family Concert Hall, Music Building.
Thursday, Jan. 24
- Tunnel of Oppression, hosted by A Mile in Our Shoes 4- 8 p.m., University Center Maroon, Gold and Chippewa rooms.
Friday, Jan. 25
- Martin Luther King Jr. Charity Basketball Game: 6 p.m., Student Activity Center. Donations for the CMU Student Food Pantry will be accepted.