MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University will honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events, including its fourth annual peace brunch and a march from the University campus to the Nodaway County Courthouse in downtown Maryville.
The annual peace brunch begins at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. A free hot breakfast buffet will be served and multicultural organizations will perform.
The peace march will follow at 1 p.m., beginning in the Student Union Ballroom and concluding on the steps of courthouse. Participants also are encouraged to make and bring signs that promote peace, equality, justice and unity. A short presentation by Northwest’s Minority Men’s Organization also will take place at the courthouse.
The University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week begins Sunday, Jan. 18, with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Church Service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom.
The week continues with a series of discussions and presentations centered on the theme “Beyond the Dream.”
The Northwest community is invited at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the Student Union’s Student Engagement Center for a discussion about how race, class and gender impact the dream of equity, justice, peace and unity.
As part of Northwest’s Career Pathing Session, Northwest Director of Intercultural Affairs Steven Bryant will give a presentation Wednesday, Jan. 21, titled, “Making the Dream a Reality, How are you showing up in the world?” The presentation will be offered at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
Also on Wednesday, State Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis will give a presentation at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Curtis represents St. Louis North County (District 73), which includes Ferguson, where he also resides. Curtis has been vocal during the unrest in the aftermath of the death of Michael Brown, and he has collaborated on initiatives and legislation aimed at protecting at-risk youth and salvaging communities.
The week’s activities conclude with a screening of “Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in Student Union Meeting Room D. The documentary explores race, racism and history in the United States.
Although Martin Luther King Jr. was born on Jan. 15, 1929, his birthday has been observed as a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day, on the third Monday of each January since 1986. In observance of the holiday, Northwest will not have classes Monday, Jan, 19, and all University offices will be closed.
King effort to lead the American civil rights movement during the 1950s and ‘60s included the 1963 March on Washington. There, he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, which dramatically raised public consciousness about civil rights and established King as a world figure. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.