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Events around East Lansing in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 17, 2019
Vice president of Student Affairs and Services, Dr. Maybank reads a speech to the crowd  on Jan. 15, 2018 at Beaumont Tower. Students, professors and Michigan residents marched to Beaumont Tower to commemorate the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Vice president of Student Affairs and Services, Dr. Maybank reads a speech to the crowd on Jan. 15, 2018 at Beaumont Tower. Students, professors and Michigan residents marched to Beaumont Tower to commemorate the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. —
Photo by Sylvia Jarrus | The State News

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 21 is approaching quickly, and Michigan State University’s campus and the city of East Lansing will hold events honoring the civil rights icon. Here are some events to attend for the holiday week:

Jan. 20:

Jazz faculty members at MSU's College of Music will host and perform at two concerts the Sunday before MLK Day. The annual celebration of King's life will include a tribute to Aretha Franklin.

The shows will be held at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Fairchild Theatre, although the 3 p.m. show is at capacity. Those interested in attending can obtain their required-but-free ticket from MSU Jazz Studies.

Jan. 21:

A March for Justice will take place on MSU’s campus, from the Kellogg Center to Beaumont Tower starting at 3:15 p.m. and ending at 4:15 p.m. The march advocates for civil and human rights. Groups can register online.

At 12 p.m., the Residence Halls Association will screen “The Hate U Give” at Wells Hall in room B115. The movie will also be screened during that time via webcast through Zoom. The film follows a teenage girl after she witnesses a police officer shoot and kill her best friend.

A luncheon honoring King will take place at 11 a.m. at the Lansing Center. This is the 34th annual luncheon put on by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan. This year’s theme is “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.” Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder — the first African-American to be elected governor in U.S. history — will be the keynote speaker.

Learn Before You Speak: An Interactive Service Event” will take place between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Center in Centennial Rooms A, B and C. Attendees can learn more about refugees and immigration and will have the opportunity to participate in an on-site service project benefiting Lansing's Cristo Rey Community Center

A Student Leadership Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room Big Ten A at the Kellogg Center. Students can demonstrate their leadership abilities through various mediums, all surrounding the theme of King's life.

The MSU Museum will have social justice exhibits on display, including Under One Sky: Global Connections in an Adire Quilt, On the Job in Abomey: Portraits of Working People in Benin and War and Speech: Propaganda, Patriotism and Dissent in the Great War.

Jan. 22:

The East Lansing Public Library will host a Black History 101 Mobile Museum from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the second year in a row. The program's founder, Khalid el-Hakim, will give a lecture at 1 p.m. The collection contains over 7,000 artifacts regarding slavery, politics, Jim Crow, science, civil rights and more.

Jan. 25:

The Social Justice Art Festival will take place at 12 p.m. at Snyder-Phillips Hall, where Ariana Brown will perform a keynote speech. The event is hosted by the university’s James Madison College and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities.

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