MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University will honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events, including its fifth 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. 18, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. A free hot breakfast buffet will be served and Northwest student leaders will give a short performance. Brent Rice, a 2010 Northwest alumnus, will give a keynote address.

The peace march will begin at 1 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom and conclude on the steps of courthouse, where Northwest student leaders will recite excerpts of King’s speeches. Participants are encouraged to make and bring signs that promote peace, equality, justice and unity. Hot chocolate also will be served.

“The civil rights movement is still occurring, and it is up to all of us to create an inclusive movement toward justice,” said Steve Bryant, Northwest’s director of multicultural student success. “A lot of work needs to be done in all of our societal structures. As we celebrate our fifth annual peace brunch and march, it is even more critical that we continue to create a movement toward peace and equity and that the Northwest community leads the way in acceptance, compassion and justice.”

The week continues with activities and discussions centered on King’s vision and social justice. All events are free and open to the public.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity presents “Black Don’t Crack,” a discussion-based presentation designed to break down barriers within the black community and society.
At noon Wednesday, Jan. 20, the Northwest community is invited to the Student Union Boardroom for a “Soup and Substance” event discussing the history and art of protesting social injustices in America. While soup is provided, participants will learn how to have effective protests and create movements toward social change.

The week’s activities conclude with “Dessert and Dialogue: Keeping the Dream Alive with the Horace Mann Students” at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, in the Student Union Boardroom. Students attending Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School will present how they plan to keep King’s dream alive.

 

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, 18, and all University offices will be closed.

King’s 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, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week events at Northwest are sponsored by its Office of Multicultural Student Success and the Strategic Objective Three Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

For more information, contact Bryant at 660.562.1517 or [email protected].

 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week 2016

Monday, Jan. 18

• Peace Brunch
  11 a.m., Student Union Ballroom

• Peace March
  1 p.m., begins at Student Union Ballroom and concludes at Nodaway County Courthouse

 

Tuesday, Jan. 19

• Black Don’t Crack
  7 to 8 p.m., Student Union Tower View, presented by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity

Wednesday, Jan. 20

• Soup and Substance: The History and Art of Protesting Social Injustices
  Noon to 1:30 p.m. Student Union Boardroom

 

Thursday, Jan. 21

• Dessert and Dialogue: Keeping the Dream Alive with the Horace Mann Students
  1 to 2:30 p.m., Student Union Boardroom.