Martin Luther King Day is coming up on Monday, Jan. 18. This year Eastern Michigan University is going to ring in the 30th anniversary of this holiday a bit early.
Festivities will kick off on Thursday, Jan. 14 with a Commemorative March, according to emich.edu's MLK page. The march will begin at the Student Center's south entrance at 4:30 p.m. With free hot chocolate in hand, marchers will be taken on a tour through the buildings on campus and landmarks to learn about their historical significance.
Afterwards, there will be an Open Celebration Discussion in the Student Center Auditorium, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. A board of five panelists will host a discussion called, “Why Your Vote Matters.” Scheduled panelists will include Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum, African American studies professor Ronald Woods, political science professors Jeff Bernstein and Ed Sidlow and Student Government's Evan Schrauben.
EMU's VISION Volunteer Center will be having its MLK Day of Service, Friday, Jan. 15. This will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. MLK Day of Service is a community service day for EMU students. Students are asked to dress for the outdoors, as they will be taken outside to do their work. There will be several projects that students will do and will be assigned at random. This event is LBC approved.
The Color of Drums Poetry Celebration: “The American Day-Dream” will be hosted by The Poetry Society, Friday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m. According to the MLK Schedule, they will be doing several acts, “as it relates to common topics throughout todays society revolving around the theme 'The American Day-Dream.” This is also a Poetry Society reunion for its past and current members. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Pease Auditorium.
The H2E Student Talent Showcase & Scholarship Competition will start at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at Pease Auditorium. The MLK Schedule says this will be a showcase for students to demonstrate their abilities in honor of the Civil Rights Movement. Three scholarships will be awarded at the end of the event.
President Obama put forward the My Brother's Keeper Initiative in 2014 to try to close the gaps for young African-American men. According to whitehouse.gov, the president's plan focuses on 6 points: to keep “all children entering school cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally ready, ensure all kids read at grade level by 3rd grade, ensure all youth graduate from high school, ensure all youth complete post-secondary education or training, ensure all youth out of school are employed, and ensure all youth remain safe from violent crime.” As part of EMU's MLK events, there will be a community challenge Sunday, Jan. 17, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Student Center Auditorium. The MLK schedule says this will be “an interactive forum” to address real life scenarios.
Then comes MLK day itself - Monday, Jan. 18. It will start with a free MLK breakfast at the Student Center, room 300, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There are also “blocks” of Courageous Conversations, and the first one will begin at 9:00 a.m. at an unspecified room on the third floor, until 9:50 a.m. There will be a second block from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m.
Barbra Arwine will be the keynote speaker at the President's MLK Luncheon, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Arwine is the president of the Transformative Rights Coalition. According to their website, they exist for, “…systematic change that achieves racial justice, gender, economic and social justice and human rights through public education and engagement initiatives...” This will be at the Student Center auditorium from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The MLK keynote speaker, Barbra Arnwine, will begin her speech at 1:30 p.m., and it will last until 3:00 p.m.
At the President's Luncheon, a Humanitarian Award & Evans Strand Scholarship will be awarded. According to the awards page, the Humanitarian award is for members of the EMU community, exemplifying Dr. King's values by making a contribution to the community. The $1,000 Evans Strand Scholarship takes inspiration after the Nobel Peace Prize. Applicants will have to submit a 5-page essay. Information is available at emich.edu/mlk/scholarship.
Starting at 4:00 p.m., the Close Up Theatre Troupe will “examine the injustices in our society as individuals" in the Student Center Auditorium. According to the schedule, they will be talking about injustices and create "a space for audience members to think, feel, question and hopefully act.”
MLK Day will wrap up with an Afterglow Celebration. This will be a party at the Student Center's Room 300. It will go from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
