The UO will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a variety of events during its weeklong MLK Celebration beginning Monday, Jan. 20.

Among the events, President Michael Gottfredson will participate in the Eugene/Springfield NAACP’s “Standing United!” MLK March on Monday, Jan. 20, and speak at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts at the conclusion of the event. The march begins in the Science Factory parking lot next to Autzen Stadium at 9:30 a.m.

The university’s events kick off with the MLK Day of Service from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday. Students, faculty, staff and community members will participate in community service projects in Eugene’s Promise Neighborhood schools. The event is hosted by the Holden Center for Leadership, Community Engagement and Innovation.

Following the MLK Day of Service, the UO School of Music and Dance will be hosting the MLK Gospel Choir concert. The event takes place at 3 p.m. at the Beall Concert Hall.

“I am very delighted about the wide range of activities that provide wonderful opportunities for our campus and the community at large to serve others in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the values of equity, inclusion and diversity that he stood for,” said Yvette Alex-Assensoh, UO vice president for Equity and Inclusion.

The Office of the Dean of Students will host musician and poet Saul Williams as the keynote speaker for the MLK Celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Black Student Union and the Black Women of Achievement will host an MLK candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. at the EMU Amphitheater.

The UO Office of Equity and Inclusion will host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 11:30 a.m. in the EMU Ballroom. The MLK Award winners have made significant contributions to the campus community uphold and exemplify qualities and ideals that were espoused or supported by the late civil rights leader.

Following the MLK Awards, the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence will host a Community Conversation: Civil Rights and Sexuality at 3 p.m. in the Mills International Center.

On Friday, Jan. 24, with a free reception for “Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power” at 6 p.m. at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Drawn from the Schnitzer collection, the exhibition displays the range of approaches Walker has taken to explore the legacy of slavery for contemporary American identity.

For a more comprehensive list of events at the UO and in the community, please visit http://oei.uoregon.edu/2014MLKCelebrationWeekactivities.

- by Melissa Foley, Office of Strategic Communications