On January 18, WOU will kick off its 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration week, packed with panels and activities. This year, our celebration is inspired by Dr. King’s speech at the Southern Methodist University on March 17th, 1966. As he stated then, “We have come a long, long way but we still have a long, long way to go.”

 

Monday’s event of focus is the Service Fundraiser for Emergency Student Aid. The goal is to raise $2021 by January 31st, and the funds will go toward emergency student food insecurity, housing, transportation, and medical expenses.

 

On Tuesday, the 19, WOU will host an online Faculty and Staff Panel from noon to one p.m., featuring Vivian Djokote, Darryl Thomas, Tie Burcham, and Rian Gayle. The panel’s focus is a discussion around our social climate as it pertains to Black/African Americans.

 

At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Tai Harden-Moore will speak for the MLK Keynote Address. Tai is the founder and CEO of Moore Consultants, LLC, and is “Dedicated to helping organizational leaders deepen their knowledge and develop the strategies necessary to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments for all.” Following the Keynote will be a student Q&A at 7:30 p.m.

 

The WOU Student-Athlete Panel will be hosted on the 21st. This panel focuses on hearing and sharing the thoughts of student-athletes in regard to the current social climate and its relation to Black/African Americans.

 

Finally, on the 22nd, the top three winners of the MLK video contest will be announced. Said winners will receive Wolf Store certificates of varying amounts. Entry into the competition opened on the 4th, and they will close on the 14th of January. Details on the content requirements and eligibility can be found here.