Michigan Tech to host MLK Celebration events Jan. 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 16. Michigan Tech will be hosting events to honor and celebrate MLK's life and legacy on campus and in local schools. (Banner courtesy Michigan Tech Center for Diversity and Inclusion)

 [Editor's Note: If you missed the livestream of the MLK Banquet, the video recording is still available on YouTube HERE. Keynote speaker Dr. Tayloria Adams is introduced for her presentation at about one hour and 16 minutes into the video recording.]

HOUGHTON -- For more than three decades Michigan Tech has honored and celebrated the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. This year Michigan Tech's Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Van Pelt and Opie Library will feature several events to honor Dr. King.

Van Pelt and Opie Library Exhibit

Michigan Tech's Van Pelt and Opie Library is featuring, through Jan. 23, an MLK exhibit along the curved wall in the Opie Reading Room. This year, all students were invited to create a digital or physical art poster for display.

The exhibit also features an interactive "I have a dream" poster, as well as a dedicated letter-writing service space for students. Any time during the exhibit, students can stop by and write letters to a local community organization or Letters of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides support for families who have been displaced by the turmoil in Ukraine.

Student Service Project in local schools

From 10 a.m. to Noon on Monday, Jan. 16, Michigan Tech students will read a book about MLK to students in local elementary schools.

Interfaith Prayer Vigil and Peace March

At Noon on Monday, Jan. 16, the Van Pelt and Opie Library will host a Prayer Vigil where religious communities on campus will read excerpts from Dr. King’s works. Following the event, the campus community is invited to meet at the Husky statue at 1 p.m. to gather for a peace march across campus. 

MLK Banquet 

The  34th Annual MLK Jr. Celebration Banquet will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in the Rozsa Lobby. The Center for Diversity and Inclusion thanks those who have registered for the banquet. Doors open at 5 p.m. Serving begins at 5:30 p.m. The attire is business casual.

Dr. Tayloria Adams, assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, will give the keynote address at the banquet. In 2014 Dr. Adams became the first African-American woman to obtain a PhD in Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University. (Inset photo: Dr. Tayloria Adams. Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University.)

Please note that banquet spots are limited this year. When you arrive please give your name at the reception desk and you will be escorted to your table. Those who did not register may not have a seat available.

If you were unable to reserve a seat, you are invited to watch a live stream of the event on social media to see keynote speaker and notable alum, Dr. Tayloria Adams, as well as the awarding of the Bayard Rustin Award by the National Society of Black Engineers. The link to the live stream will be available soon.

For any questions or concerns, please email cdi@mtu.edu.