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Commemorating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Special events and activities honor the life of the influential civil rights leader during the week of January 20 - 24
University News | January 2, 2025
January 20, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary for commemorating the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday as a National Day of Service. Dr. King’s legacy as the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination, is marked each year on his birthday, with tributes to his remarkable leadership and service. This year, Virginia Wesleyan University commemorates Dr. King’s legacy with a week filled with service activities, a film screening and facilitated discussion, special speakers and an annual student award presentation.
Mark your calendars for these special activities and events:
Throughout the week of January 20 – 24, VWU will host a “Shoe Drive for Winter's Place.” Gently used and new shoes in all sizes will be collected and distributed to local schools in the area. Donations can be dropped off in The Lighthouse in Clarke Hall.
On January 21, from 2 - 4 p.m., the campus community is invited to The Lighthouse to make native wildflower seed bombs in support of Hoffler Creek’s gardens. The documentary “King: Man of Peace in a Time of War” (2007) will be showcased at this time.
On January 22, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., students, faculty and staff will gather in The Lighthouse to create paracord lanyards and thank-you cards for Operation Gratitude. These handmade items will be sent to deployed troops to show appreciation and support from the VWU community.
On January 22 from 7 – 9 p.m. in The Lighthouse in Clarke Hall, Room 118, a screening of “Seats at the Table,” a documentary film that tells the story of a college class which brings together students and juveniles at a maximum-security correctional center, will be screened.
In a semester-long course at the University of Virginia, “Books Behind Bars,” students and young correctional center residents meet once a week to analyze and discuss the works of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and other Russian authors, with an aim toward exploring the urgent life questions these works elicit: What makes for a happy life? How can I be true to myself? What is my responsibility to others? Given that I’m going to die, how should I live? The literature is the prism through which the classmates share their most intimate human stories and discuss their lives openly and honestly.
Following the screening of the film, Darryl Byers-Robinson will share insights and lead a discussion. While serving time at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility, he participated in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), which changed his life. He now travels the country speaking to students, communities and legislators about criminal justice issues and prison education reform. He currently serves as the site coordinator, Patuxent Institution, with the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences.
On January 23, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., the Robert Nusbaum Center will host “Incarceration to Transformation: Education as a Catalyst for Change” in Brock Commons. Keynote speaker Darryl Byers- Robinson will further share his experiences as an incarcerated individual who earned his bachelor’s degree.
Virginia Wesleyan University has launched a groundbreaking initiative, bringing university courses and degree programs to incarcerated individuals at St. Brides and Indian Creek Correctional Facilities in Chesapeake, VA. VWU is the first university in the state to offer such degrees. Following Byers-Robinson’s talk, Dr. Susan Larkin, VWU provost and vice president for academic affairs and Gil Bland, president of the Urban League of Hampton Roads, will share the vision behind the groundbreaking collaboration designed to change lives and create opportunities for those transitioning out of incarceration. In addition, VWU will honor a student whose commitment to justice and education reflects Dr. King’s ideals. This student will be presented with the university’s annual Mavis McKenley ’11 Award during the event.
On January 24, from 1 – 3 p.m., members of the campus community are invited to gather in The Lighthouse to honor Dr. King’s legacy by pledging to give back to the community through service. Participants will have the opportunity to sign a banner, making a commitment to volunteer and support unity and social justice.
Members of the campus community are encouraged to participate in these meaningful activities and events as VWU pays tribute to Dr. King’s vision of equality, justice and transformative change.