Approximately 125 individuals representing the students, faculty, staff and alumni of Arkansas Tech University participated in a peace march celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.
Those in attendance withstood sub-freezing temperatures to show their support for the cause of equal rights championed by King a half-century earlier. Before the march, the participants listened to a recording of King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Make sure that today you take the time to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and what he means to each and every one of us, even in 2016,” said Dr. MarTeze Hammonds, associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Arkansas Tech. “It is very much an awesome feeling to have the opportunity to be on our campus and hear those words ring throughout education because Dr. Martin Luther King was very much about education.”
Arkansas Tech began a five-day celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday by hosting a day of service that resulted in the packing of more than 37,000 meals for the food insecure in the Arkansas River Valley.
Events will continue with an open mic night beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Young Ballroom and a gallery walk from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at Young Ballroom.
The gallery walk will feature artistic pieces related to Martin Luther King Jr. and/or the civil rights movement submitted by Arkansas Tech students and registered student organizations.
For more information about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2016 events at Arkansas Tech, call (479) 880-4358 or send e-mail to diversity@atu.edu.
