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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy by Keeping the Dream Alive: One Caring Act at a Time.

ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University’s Division of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Intercultural Affairs will help the campus and community commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with three events January 18-20, 2018.

With the idea of “Keeping the Dream Alive: One Caring Act at A Time,” the programs include a peace rally, keynote speaker and a day of service.

“While we—as a nation—have made much progress towards the realization of some of Dr. King’s dreams for America, so much more is left to be done,” said John Bello-Ogunu, Sr., vice president for Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Intercultural Affairs. “This year’s commemoration of Dr. King’s legacies is yet another important reminder that we still have a long way to travel before his dreams are finally realized.”

On Thursday, January 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., LU will host the MLK Unity and Peace Rally in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy beginning on the Brooks-Shivers Dining Hall Lawn and ending at the Montagne Center steps.

Participants are encouraged to join together on the Dining Hall lawn to make posters and continue the message of MLK before taking part and walking in a rally to the steps of the Montagne Center.

After recreating the historic walk on Washington, Rev. Albert Moses Jr., pastor of Christian Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Port Arthur, will recite an historic speech by Dr. King.

On Thursday, January 18, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., participants will hear from Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens in a keynote address in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Legacy. The program will take place in the Landes Auditorium, Room 101, of the Galloway Business Building on the LU campus.

Stephens began her law enforcement career at the Beaumont Police Department in 1989. In 1996, she left the department to work for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office where she spent 11 of 17 years as the deputy chief, before taking a position as the chief of police at Prairie View A&M University, the university’s first female chief. Upon her election, she became Jefferson County’s first black and first female sheriff and the first black female to become a Sheriff in Texas, one of only two in the country.

Saturday will present opportunity to participate in a “Day of Service in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy.” Check-in for the day will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of the McDonald Gym at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University. Students, faculty and staff members, and volunteers from the community will be serving others from 9 a.m. to noon. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what's right.”

For more information contact: The Division of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Intercultural Affairs, Carl Parker Building Room 106, (409) 880-7169

For questions concerning disability-related access or to request accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center at (409) 880-8347 or drc@lamar.edu.