How Colleges Across the Nation Honor Dr. The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Colleges and universities across the country are preparing to celebrate the legacy of a civil rights icon who fought for integration and transformed America’sRev. Dr. Forrest M. Pritchett racial landscape.

Every third Monday in January, millions of Americans pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and this year is no different. In fact, some university leaders say that with the continued assault on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, now more than ever is the time to remember King’s contributions.

Seton Hall University in New Jersey decided to revamp their annual MLK program a few years ago, citing the need for change amid a challenging political climate.

The college now celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through the Martin Luther King Day Symposium, an academic credit workshop where both students can earn academic or higher education credits for their participation in the event. The course is offered at no extra cost, regardless of a student’s credit load.

“After the 2016 election, we thought America needed an upgrade,” said the Rev. Dr. Forrest Pritchett, who heads the university’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program and Gospel Choir. “We thought it might be a teachable moment and that it’s time we move away from what we might call our assumptions about things and get to the real nitty-gritty of what makes America tick .”

Pritchett said the school’s annual MLK celebration is rooted in a tradition that dates back to 1970, adding that the MLK Leadership Program at Seton Hall integrates current events with a focus on servant leadership, Africana Studies and promoting a historical understanding of King’s lasting legacy . This year’s event will include a keynote address by Dr. Drew GI Hart, an associate professor of theology and program director of Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice at Messiah University.

At King’s alma mater — Morehouse College in Atlanta — school leaders emphasized that the annual commemoration honoring their most famous alumnus gives the college the opportunity to connect King’s life with the foundation of their own legacy as the nation’s only historically black institution for men.

King attended Morehouse and graduated with a degree in sociology in 1948.Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries

“Dr. King’s life and legacy are central to our mission at Morehouse College as a historically black liberal arts institution,” said Dr. Vicki Crawford, director of the Martin Luther King Collection at Morehouse. “We see that in the work we do with The King Collection and our Martin Luther King Scholars.”

Crawford said students are able to read King’s words on their own and form their own conclusions about the leader and the relevance of his message in contemporary times. Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries – a distinguished historian and professor at Ohio State University will deliver this year’s lecture. Jeffries, author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt, graduated in 1994 from Morehouse.

Morehouse’s weeklong celebration kicks off with a university-wide forum on Jan. 16, led by Drs. David Wall Rice, a psychology professor at Morehouse.

Leaders of the historic MLK Commemorative Commission founded in 1982 in Knoxville, Tennessee, will partner with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to host its annual flagship MLK Awards Luncheon and Leadership Educational Symposium.

The commission holds a week-long series of events annually to honor the legacy of King.

Clarence Vaughn, director of the Office of Access and Community Connections at UT and a member of the MLK Commission, said the partnership not only increases student participation at the events, but also allows residents of the surrounding community to support the university and visit the campus.

“There’s a lot of work being done with our access and engagement officers, including myself, to really get that community engagement piece,” Vaughn said. “But this gives us an opportunity to do that by inviting all communities to come and celebrate a meaningful event like the King’s Day celebration. So we’re delighted to be hosting this and it’s been a really great collaboration. ”

Partnering with the city of Knoxville, Vaughn added, has proven successful.

“Coupled with the volunteer spirit of our institution, the life and legacy of Dr. King, I think it’s just a great match to help support our initiatives as we try to be a part of that beloved community,” he said.

For 25 years, Wayne State University in Michigan has held its annual King program. This year’s theme, “Sixty years after Selma and We’re Still Marching,” will mark the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when scores of protesters—including the late Congressman John Lewis, who was a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)—were brutally attacked. Edmund Pettus Bridge.

“Dr. King dedicated his life to achieving civil rights for all people. By continuing to annually recognize his dedication and sacrifice, we honor his memory and reaffirm our commitment to his ideals,” said Stacie Clayton, Director of Community Affairs for Wayne State University.

The late Dr. Arthur Johnson, who served as senior vice president at Wayne State University and was a classmate of King at Morehouse in the 1940s, created the first MLK Tribute at the school. A leader of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, Johnson died in 2011.

Like Morehouse—Florida A&M University—another historically black institution will host a convocation that will allow students, faculty, staff and the Tallahassee community to come together to assess King’s legacy of civic engagement and advocacy.

“Dr. King has a poignant quote that says, ‘Everyone can be good because everyone can serve.’ His life and his commitment to the Civil Rights Movement reminds us that we can all make a difference when we experience challenges that need to be solved,” said Alonda Thomas, vice president and chief marketing & communications officer at FAMU.