University of Richmond Celebrates MLK Day With Series of Events

January 10, 2022

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — The University of Richmond’s 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration started today and spans the first weeks of the spring semester. This year’s theme — "We cannot walk alone" — will be the focus of a number of events and community conversations.

“Collective action defined the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and there are countless other examples of moments when citizens have come together to make their needs known and enact change that makes our world better for all,” said Sylvia Gale, executive director for Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, which is overseeing MLK programming. “We are embracing our MLK celebration as a time to invite our community to reflect on how we are meeting the challenges of our time.”

Many of the University’s MLK-related events are specific to the campus community, but the greater community is invited to virtually participate in the following:

Mending Walls Screening and Panel Discussion, Jan. 16 2­–4 p.m.

Mending Walls is a documentary about the Mending Walls RVA public art project. This event is co-hosted by UR’s Bonner Center of Civic Engagement with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and VPM. The screening will be via Facebook Live at 2 p.m. with Zoom breakout sessions following the screening starting at 3 p.m. The small group discussions will explore the importance of sharing stories and listening before taking civic action. Register here.

Lunch and Learn: Dr. and Mrs. Wyatt T. Walker Collection, Jan. 18, 12–1 p.m.
University of Richmond's Boatwright Memorial Library is home to the Dr. and Mrs. Wyatt Tee Walker Collection. Dr. Walker served as chief strategist for Martin Luther King Jr. and was hailed by King as “one of the keenest minds of the nonviolent revolution.” The virtual Lunch and Learn focusing on Walker’s legacy will be led by Taylor McNeilly, processing and reference archivist at Boatwright Memorial Library, along with leadership studies professor Thad Williamson and Betty Neal Crutcher, who taught a course about Walker in the fall. Register here.

A series of quotes from MLK and other leaders will also be posted around campus and the lake for the community to enjoy through Jan. 21. Learn more about UR’s MLK celebration at richmond.edu/mlk.

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