Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday, and will be celebrated campus-wide
While this day of observance often only means a day off from classes, Eastern Michigan University is giving students a chance to learn not only about Dr. King’s impact during his life, but also how his actions continue to shape the world today.
“I hope everything draws students in,” Planning Committee member Judy-Sturgis Hill said. “Usually we see people take off, but we have wonderful activities and events planned all weekend.”
Events begin on Friday, and continue on through Tuesday.
Some activities include presentations by the poetry society, the forensics team, and key note speaker Keith Boykin – an editor of an online news outlet, a BET TV host and a New York Times best seller. Other notable happenings include academic break out sessions, a lock in, and a film showing.
The events tie in to this year’s theme: The Dream: [Insert Self Here] with hopes of not only drawing students into the events but into the meaning behind them as well.
“I love the theme,” Sturgis-Hill said. “Ideally, it will remind us to celebrate the strides that were made in King’s era and hopefully, students will find a way to insert themselves in the movement and help make that dream a reality.”
The lessons that King preached haven’t lost their meaning just because decades have gone by. There are still dreams that need to be reached.
“I truly believe that King’s dream is attainable,” she said. “Justice and equality is for everybody. Everyone can play a role in justice and equality.”
Although we have made large strides since Dr. King’s time, his message of equality for all is just as important now as it has ever been.
“We’re not done yet,” Sturgis-Hill said. “There is so much more to be done. Until fairness and equality are real to all Americans, we aren’t done.”
For more information, see the events guide in this issue or you can pick up a flyer at the front desk of campus buildings.
