Planning for MLK commemoration is in the works

Student organizations and other members of the University of Richmond community were encouraged to submit a proposal by Nov. 8 to participate in this year's Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration ceremony in January 2014.

Interested participants submitted their proposals to Ted Lewis, the associate director of Common Ground for LGBTQ campus life.

"The MLK Commemoration Committee considered several proposals for the students and groups to perform at the ceremony," Lewis said. "Students and student organizations wishing to participate submitted an OrgSync application outlining their potential performance. Then, each student or group met with the MLK Commemoration Committee this past Thursday to discuss their performance and answer questions on how their work connects to the legacy of Martin Luther King."

Lewis said the committee evaluated proposals on their fit in the scheduling of the event, the groups' preparation for the January performance and most of all, on "a strong connection between the student or group's performance and King's legacy."

The committee is settling on five groups to participate in the event, but Lewis said many details still have to be planned for the event before the specifics of each group's involvement would be released.

Past participation has included speeches, dance performances, step routines and presentations connecting the social justice work being done on our campus to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Besides the event commemorating King, MLK day will now be a holiday recognized on campus with no class and the campus ceremony will be on the following Tuesday, as opposed to a shortened schedule followed by the Common Ground event as it has been in the past. Lewis and Lisa Miles, another associate director of Common Ground, worked to fill the no-class day with other opportunities for students to get involved in the celebration of the holiday.

"This year there are some very big and significant changes to how the University of Richmond celebrates and recognizes Martin Luther King Day," Lewis said. "For the first time MLK Day will be a holiday, with no classes. It is the hope of the Office of Common Ground and our many co-sponsors that this day with become 'A Day On Not a Day Off' where students will participate in service, community engagement and volunteer opportunities."

Miles said: "Common Ground, and the entire MLK Day planning committee, is responding [to the no-class holiday change] by offering a vibrant day of activities on the Monday holiday for those who want to honor Dr. King together. We'll have a kick-off breakfast in the morning at 9:30 with remarks from Dr. Ayers, Chaplain Kocher and senior Mariah Williams. We will offer service opportunities in the community after that, providing transportation for those that need it.

The Monday holiday will also include a Civil Rights Bus Tour of Richmond that will travel to significant historic places around the city, Miles said. Common Ground will also offer an MLK Day Family Day, where Miles said "students will offer engaging and fun activities around civil rights history for the children of our faculty and staff to enjoy together in the Web."

The commemoration will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21st in Camp Concert Hall. Lewis said more information on the event schedule and the performances would be released soon.

Contact staff writer Jeremy Day at jeremy.day@richmond.edu