VSU Celebrates the Life, Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with community service projects, a march, and more this weekend.

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, VSU volunteers will give back to the community through four Day of Service projects — painting with Habitat for Humanity; providing organizing, shredding, labeling, and other services at The Salvation Army; collecting socks and blankets and writing encouraging letters for patients at the Pearlman Comprehensive Cancer Center; and helping to clean the campus grounds.

At 11 a.m. on Monday, the Mu Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will lead a march to commemorate King’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement and the progress the country achieved during that decades-long struggle — and to recognize the ongoing pursuit for social justice that continues today. This event is open to the public.

The march will begin at the University Center fountain, travel along Brookwood Drive towards Patterson Street, turn right on Patterson Street, and end at the Student Union steps. Following a candlelight vigil, march participants will be invited inside for a Town Hall — “A Discussion of Dichotomy: The Power of the Dream vs. The Pains of Reality” — at 11:45 a.m.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, King became the iconic face of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1900s, dedicating his life to ending racial injustice in the United States until his assassination in 1968.

“King sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and all victims of injustice through peaceful protest,” according to History.com. “He was the driving force behind watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday since 1986.”

VSU’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration is presented by the Department of Student Diversity and Inclusion, the student chapter of the NAACP, the Mu Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Student Government Association, the Black Student League, and Collegiate Men.

Please email diversity@valdosta.edu to learn more.