Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration events planned at Clemson

Clemson University will mark the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the week of Jan. 20 with the theme “2020 Vision: Looking Back, Pushing Forward.” Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Scheduled events for the week include:

Jan. 20:

Day of Service: 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Hendrix Ballrooms A&B. Click here to register.

Blood Drive: 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Hendrix Meeting Rooms A&B.

 

Jan. 21:

Commemorative Service with keynote speaker Dorothy Yancy, president emerita of Johnson C. Smith University and Shaw University. She was the first female to hold each of these prestigious titles and also was the first African-American tenured at Georgia Tech.

During the service, the President’s Office and Office of Inclusion and Equity will present MLK Awards for Excellence in Service to one staff member, one student and one member of the community who have shown excellence in service to Clemson and the surrounding community. The event starts and 6 p.m. in the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts and is open to the public.

 

Jan. 23:

Tunnel of Oppression, noon-6 p.m. Hendrix Student Center, Ballrooms A&B.

Tunnel of Oppression is a simulation, acted out by members of the campus community that depict real-life scenarios of power, privilege and oppression experienced by marginalized populations in our society. Past years’ scenes highlighted issues such as racism, homophobia and gender-based violence.