In honor of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., Anderson University is suspending classes, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Instead, students will have opportunities to participate in service projects, demonstrations and other celebratory events in remembrance of King’s legacy.
The community is invited to participate in a 1960’s Civil Rights Rally Re-enactment located in Miller Chapel at the School of Theology. The re-enactment will be facilitated by Dr. James Morehead, professor of communication at Anderson University, and will be followed by “Get On The Bus,” a demonstration of singing songs from the Movement. Shuttle service will be provided for those who would like to participate in the citywide MLK Jr. Day Celebration at the Paramount Theatre.
Following the citywide event, participants will march to Reardon Lobby on the Anderson University campus, with campus organizations and departments carrying signs and banners that reflect their support for equal rights, the right to vote and desegregation.
“I really can’t think of a better way to begin the first few days of 2016 than to walk out the ideals and celebrate the progression we’ve made as a nation through the leadership of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Michael Thigpen, director of AU’s cultural resource center.
A special addition this year was made possible through a grant from the Indiana Campus Compact. The grant was submitted by Anderson University student Dionna Burden and allows the campus to host an MLK Jr. Day Camp for 60 students within the Anderson community. The camp will consist of a full day of activities and games while learning about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Various service projects and campus activities will be held between 3 – 5 p.m., including a simulation to experience the climate of the Civil Rights Movement. The day concludes with a free showing of the movie Selma in Reardon Auditorium at 7 p.m.
“In the turbulent times we are currently facing, this year’s celebration will help us to pause, reflect and remember the things that really matter,” added Thigpen.
Participants are encouraged to share their experiences using #GetOnTheBusAU to post photos and videos. A full schedule for the service day on Jan. 18, may be viewed on the MLK Day website.
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Dr. Marilyn Sanders Mobley will be the guest speaker for chapel/convocation at 11 a.m. in Reardon Auditorium on the Anderson University campus. Dr. Mobley is the vice president for inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity and professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Anderson University is a private Christian university in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.), Anderson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, music, nursing, and theology.
