Stetson Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 19, 2015

To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19, Stetson University, in collaboration with the Greater Union Life Center and the MLK Planning Committee, will host a series of events and programs open to the public, themed around the topics of civil rights and global citizenship throughout the week of Jan. 19-22, 2015.

Stetson will join other Americans across the country and make MLK Day “a day ON, not a day OFF” and honor and celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy by participating in a Day of Service, helping neighbors and communities and by promoting King’s message of equality, social justice and opportunity for all.

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Monday, Jan. 19

  • 7:30 -10:30 a.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Breakfast and Keynote speaker
    • Rinker Field House, Hollis Center, 600 N. Bert Fish Dr., DeLand
    • Stetson University, in collaboration with the Greater Union Life Center and the MLK Planning Committee host the annual MLK Jr. Breakfast. Admission is open to the public for $5; $10 at the door, and includes a breakfast buffet. *Limited complimentary tickets available for students. Contact [email protected] to RSVP.
  • 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. MLK, Jr. Unity March
    • From Stetson University south on Woodland Blvd. to Chisholm Community Center, DeLand
    • Following the breakfast, participants will walk south on Woodland Boulevard, from Stetson University to the Chisholm Community Center. Participants are encouraged to bring posters and banners to the march.
  • 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Day of Service (various locations).
    • Coordinated by Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement – For details and more information, please contact the Center for Community Engagement at 386-822-8706. 

Tuesday, Jan. 20

  • 7–8:30 p.m. Spoken Word Artist: REYES
    • Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center
    • Stetson Room, Carlton Union Building, second floor, 131 E. Minnesota Ave., DeLand
    • Join us for a dynamic exploration of social justice during MLK Jr. Commemorative efforts with Reyes. Reyes is a Chicano /Mexicano poet, emcee, actor, playwright, artist and community organizer with work featured nationally in many magazines, anthologies and newspapers. A leading voice in progressive and radical music, Reyes combines cultural stories of resistance, raw hip-hop and inspiring poems, to confront issues of social justice and cultural identity in a participatory educational environment. ID required for cultural credit.

Wednesday, Jan. 21

  • 7:30–8:45 p.m. Civil Rights Series: Original Freedom Riders David and Winonah Myers
    • Sponsored by Stetson’s Cross-Cultural Center
    • Stetson Room, Carlton Union Building. Doors open at 7:15 p.m.
    • In the midst of Ferguson and national coverage of protests of today’s civil right issues we are reminded of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s which brought many folks together in a call to action. In 1961, Winonah Beamer Myers and David Myers were young, white college students attending Central State University, a predominately black college in Ohio. They are recognized as members of the Freedom Riders that were among the higher profile actions. They were among other young civil rights activists, some black and some white, who walked into a train station, ignored the “colored” waiting room and took their seats in the “white” waiting room. At each demonstration, they were quickly arrested for breaching the peace. Join us for a dynamic evening of personal narratives, pictures, and videos and learn more about what two 19-year-olds did in response to racial injustice and how Winonah served the longest jail sentence of any of the 438 Freedom Riders and much more. Free and open to the public. Student ID required for cultural credit.

Thursday, Jan. 22

  • 1– 2 p.m. Know your rights when encountering law enforcement
    • Sponsored by Public Safety, and the Multicultural Student Council
    • Stetson Room, Carlton Union Building
    • Facilitated by Stetson University Office of Public Safety, Know Your Rights provides effective and useful guidance that addresses what rights you have when you are stopped, questioned, arrested, or searched by federal, state or local law enforcement officers. Officers will review bill of rights, grand jury process among other related issues. Question & Answers will be incorporated throughout the session.