Michigan Tech, Finlandia to host Martin Luther King Jr. Week events

Poster courtesy Michigan Tech University Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

HOUGHTON/HANCOCK -- Both Michigan Tech and Finlandia universities will host events to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. this week, beginning Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019.

Michigan Tech events:

Sunday, Jan. 20: "Let's Talk About Race," in the Copper Country -- A Community-Wide Gathering and Panel Discussion will be held from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1100 College Avenue, Houghton. This gathering will be followed by a weekly book discussion.  Participants will read So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. A limited number of books will be available for free at the gathering on January 20. 12 books can be given away for those willing to participate. Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings at Good Shepherd.

Monday, Jan. 21:

MLK Reading Day -- Houghton, Hancock, and Dollar Bay Elementary Schools, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. If you or your group would still like to volunteer, please email Briana Tucker at bctucker@mtu.edu. MLK children's books will be provided for readings. Personal transportation is required, but carpool options can be arranged

Michigan Tech's 30th Annual MLK Banquet Celebration. in the MUB Ballroom -- Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Program begins at 6 p.m. Tradition at Tech shows the strong community we create and the value we place on the life and legacy of Dr. King. This year's theme is "Living Fearlessly." Michigan Tech alumnus Donzell Dixson '14, is the keynote speaker. Tickets are free, but registration is required. The banquet includes a buffet dinner, award ceremony, and keynote address.

Tuesday, Jan. 22: Fearlessly Facing Fear Panel Discussion -- Memorial Union Building (MUB) Alumni Lounge, 6 p.m. Presented by Speak It Tour, featuring: Donzell Dixson, Elijah Kondeh, and Donte Curtis.

Wednesday, Jan. 23: National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) hosts "What Do You Know about Dr. King?" discussion -- Fisher 138, 6 p.m.

Finlandia Events: 

The fourth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration at Finlandia University will begin at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, with a brief worship service, continue with the annual day of service and community meal Monday, and conclude on Thursday with the film When We Were Kings.

Sunday, Jan. 20: A brief worship service is scheduled in the Chapel of St. Matthew at 5 p.m. The Biblical Moses and "Moses" Tubman will be celebrated together as we prayerfully reflect on our own vocation to be truly free and instruments of freedom for others. All students and employees are invited!

Monday, Jan. 21: Instead of reporting to class as they usually do on Monday morning, students, staff and faculty are continuing one of Finlandia’s newest and most rewarding traditions -- MLK Day of Service. Students, staff and faculty are volunteering throughout the Copper Country, with a total of 16 service sites ranging from the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter in Calumet to The Bluffs Senior Community in Houghton, and just about everywhere in between.

The day will conclude with an open community meal at 5 p.m. in Finlandia Hall. All students and employees are invited to the café for that meal.

Thursday, Jan. 24: Film presentation: When We Were Kings, 6 p.m. in W303 (Wargelin Hall). Film description: On October 30, 1974, perhaps the most famous heavyweight championship boxing match of all time took place in Kinshasa, Zaire: the "Rumble in the Jungle" between champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali. In historical footage and new interviews, this documentary explores the relationship between African Americans and the African continent during the Black Power era in terms of both popular culture and international politics, including the brutality of then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

UPDATE:  We have learned that Hancock High School will also be holding an event to honor Martin Luther King Jr. at noon on Monday, Jan. 21.

Third annual Women's March to be held Jan. 19 on Portage Lift Bridge

Participants in last year's Women's March gather near the Houghton waterfront and prepare to march across the Portage Lift Bridge. The Jan. 21, 2018, march in Houghton attracted nearly 500 participants. This year's Women's March will be Saturday, Jan. 19. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

HOUGHTON -- The third annual Women’s March will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, on the Portage Lift Bridge. Marchers will gather on the west side of the bridge near BridgeView Park and walk up to Shelden Ave. to reach the bridge. Hats and signs are welcome.

This march is in conjunction with the Women’s March in Washington, DC, and Sister Marches across the country and around the world.

The first March was held on the day after Trump’s inauguration when our nation’s capital was filled with women from around the country, including a contingent from the Copper Country. Those women led the second annual march on the bridge last year.*

This is an inclusive, non-partisan event. Women of all ages, their partners and children are invited to participate. This march is a diverse, inclusive, and grass roots effort to express concerns for rights, safety, health, justice, dignity, opportunity, and more.

For more information contact Susan Burack at 906-482-3270.

*Editor's Note: See our Jan. 28, 2018, article on last year's Women's March: "Nearly 500 Copper Country residents march across Lift Bridge in anniversary Sister March: videos, photos."