How to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks on Jan. 1, 1960 in Washington D.C. Credit: Courtesy of TNS

This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service has gone virtual amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With no classes on MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 18, University President Kristina M. Johnson sent out a university-wide email Jan. 12 encouraging students to celebrate his legacy.

“I invite you to join fellow Buckeyes in honoring Dr. King’s legacy by participating in events and activities during a week-long program that will celebrate his legacy while incorporating the importance of activism in our society today,” Johnson said in the email. “Dr. King’s example in contributing to the betterment of our democracy and our world is more important now than ever.”

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Continuing the Legacy” is a week-long program of virtual events hosted by the Office of Student Life’s Pay It Forward campaign, the Hale Black Cultural Center, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and more. Here is a list of events to celebrate King’s life and impact:

• Monday, Jan. 18
  • 2021 Peace and Freedom Committee Celebration 10 a.m.
    • This celebration, hosted by The Ohio State University at Marion, will include guest speakers, performances and speeches by children in the community.
  •  Virtual MLK Day Celebration with King Arts Complex 12 p.m.
    • Composed of musical and theatrical performances, art and historical presentations, the King Arts Complex will celebrate King’s life and legacy.
  •  40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Parade 12 p.m.
    • The parade, premiering on YouTube, reinforces the need to continue King’s work.
  •  Continuing The Legacy: MLK Week Opening Ceremony 6 p.m. 
    • Speakers, including Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers and Hale Black Cultural Center Director Lawrence Williamson, will honor King’s legacy during this kick-off event.
  •  Cultivating Social Change: Constructing Grow Kits
    • The Office of Student Life Social Change Department will construct “grow kits” during the week of Jan. 18 as a part of their “Cultivating Social Change” project. Their project provides high-need families with portable garden kits including soil, seeds, multicultural books and activity sheets. Volunteers are needed to complete the kits and prepare them for distribution.
• Tuesday, Jan. 19
  • 40 Acres and a Mule: Wealth, Legacy and Social Change 7 p.m.
    • “This session will explore the “legacy” of wealth in America and its economic and racial implications. Hosts will discuss the importance of generational wealth as it relates to Social Justice and Social Change. The panel will dissect the broken promise of “40 Acres and a Mule” and will discuss wealth strategies and tips. The intent is to encourage community stability, economic empowerment, and FREEDOM,” according to the event page.
• Wednesday, Jan. 20
  • The Letter from Birmingham Jail: Applications to Modern Day Advocacy and Activism 7:30 p.m.
    • Hasan Jeffries, associate professor of history and Kirwan Institute faculty affiliate, will analyze King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and how it remains relevant with the growing racial tensions in modern-day America.
• Thursday, Jan. 21
  • Fifty Years of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University: A Discussion with ODI Leaders 7:30 p.m.
    • The Office of Student Life’s Pay It Forward campaign will host a discussion with prominent diversity and inclusion leaders in the Ohio State community. Panelists include Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Lawrence Williamson and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Director for External Engagement, Alumni Affairs and Special Events Kimberly McCalla.
• Tuesday, Jan. 26
  • The Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s 49th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 7 p.m.
    • The featured speaker of this celebration is civil rights attorney Ben Crump, the attorney for the Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Martin Lee Anderson, Breonna Taylor and Andre Hill families.