Kent State University commemorates the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader on Monday, Jan. 16.
All Kent State campuses are closed, with the 2023 Spring Semester and classes beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17.
The university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration will take place Thursday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m., when Bernice A. King, daughter of the civil rights leader, will be the keynote speaker.
King, who was just 5 years old when her father was assassinated, serves as chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, which was founded by her mother, the late Coretta Scott King, as the official living memorial to the life, work and legacy of her father.
In her CEO role, King works to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change through policy, advocacy and research, as well as education and training through the King philosophy of nonviolence, which she rebranded Nonviolence365™️ (NV365). King holds a master’s degree in divinity and a Juris Doctor degree.
The event will take place in the Kent Student Center Ballroom, the event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Use this link to download tickets.
Also, as part of MLK programming, a second event, Elevating Voices, Embracing Identities: Supporting the Public Health Of Black LGBTQ+ Communities in the Tradition of Martin Luther King Jr., will take place from noon to 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3.
This online program will address the ongoing health disparities faced by the Black LGBTQ+ community in Summit County, particularly regarding mental health, disabilities and experiences of abuse and discrimination.
The event will take place via Teams; use this link to join (meeting ID: 250 330 370 252; passcode: Ff8gwC).
For more information or questions on any MLK events, call 330-672-2442, or email diversity@kent.edu.