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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Cover Photo

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Cover Photo

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023 by honoring and highlighting the contributions of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose mission was to empower people to create a just, humane, equitable, and peaceful world. Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, he grew up to be a social activist and a minister who played a key role in the American Civil Rights Movement until his assassination in 1968. We encourage our community to study, observe, and celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on campus, within the Greater Worcester community, and beyond.

Read, Watch, Listen and Learn

 

Take Action

 

Thank you to all of the members of the MLK Day Planning Committee:

  • Gregory Lane (Pre-Collegiate Outreach)
  • Alesia LeSane (ODIME)
  • Mackenzie Lipman (Student Activities Office)
  • Erin Mayo (Office of Accessibility Services)
  • Abdah St. Fleur (the Housing & Residential Experience Center)

 

The first push for a holiday that honored MLK took place only days after his assassination. For fifteen years, the advocacy for the bill’s passing continued (History.com). On November 2, 1983, former President Ronald Reagan signed into law House of Representatives Bill Number 3706 declaring January 15, the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a national holiday. It was not until 2000, that every state observed MLK Day (History.com). It is a day that is met with pause in remembrance, celebrated with parades, marches, and speeches, and the only federal holiday that is also designated by Congress as a national day of service, a “day on, not a day off” (DOI.gov).

Learn More: https://www.history.com/mlk

 

The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) promotes and oversees all student facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) learning experiences, programs, services, trainings, and initiatives for WPI.