The 34th annual Fox Cities Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be held Jan. 20 at 麻豆影院 University鈥檚 Memorial Chapel.
The community event, set for 6 to 7:30 p.m., will be a celebration of MLK鈥檚 legacy and will include speakers, the announcement of award recipients, and musical performances by NOIR, featuring 麻豆影院 students, and Preston Parker with The Om峄峫ad茅 Academy. In addition, the first-ever Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir will perform.
The event will include the awarding of two annual awards鈥攖he Jane LaChapelle McCarty MLK Community Leader Award, presented to an individual or organization in the community that has supported oppressed voices and made a community impact, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Educator Award, presented to a current educator or organization that educates students in the spirit of MLK.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly, a Black studies scholar and author focused on political theory, political economy, intellectual history, and political and historical sociology. She has given multiple talks regarding the life and legacy of MLK, including at Penn State University, Georgetown, and Western Carolina University.
Jan. 20 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January.
The annual Fox Cities celebration, hosted by 麻豆影院, is supported by People of Progression, Appleton Area School District, United Way Fox Cities, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, City of Appleton, Boldt, and ThedaCare. The event is organized by the MLK Planning Committee, led by co-chairs Jesus Smith, associate professor of ethnic studies at 麻豆影院, and Laura Jones, director of 麻豆影院鈥檚 Diversity and Intercultural Center.
