MLK Day Events Set at U of A, in Fayetteville

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The annual MLK Day March will begin at 11:15 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, from the Walton Arts Center parking lot.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Council and the University of Arkansas will host and sponsor three days of activities to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 19. This year’s theme for the events is “Living Together as Brothers.”

A main highlight of the holiday will be the annual MLK March and Vigil. The public is invited to gather at 11:15 a.m. Monday in the Walton Arts Center parking lot on Dickson St. in Fayetteville for the March, which will end at the University of Arkansas Union. In case of inclement weather, participants will meet at the Verizon Ballroom in the Arkansas Union. This event is sponsored by the NWA Martin Luther King Jr. Council.

The Vigil will take place in the Verizon Ballroom at the Union, beginning at noon. The keynote speaker for the event will be State Representative Eddie Armstrong. U of A associate professor Pearl Dow will also speak, and there will be performances by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members and student Kristen Smith. This event is open to the public and sponsored by the Black Alumni Society Scholars, Associated Student Government and Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education at the University of Arkansas.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day events begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 19 with the MLK Dream Keepers’ Community Service Programs. A Youth Prayer Breakfast and Activity program will begin at the U of A’s Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. This event brings young people together in prayer and to reflect on how Dr. King's dream has impacted their lives. The young people will then go to the HPER building at 9:30 a.m. for activities such as basketball, volleyball and soccer. These events are sponsored by the NWA MLK Council, U of A Intramural Sports, and U of A Intercollegiate Athletics.

The holiday will conclude with the 18th annual Recommitment Banquet hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Council, and co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas. Keith Jackson – community activist, former NFL star, founder of P.A.R.K and broadcaster for the Razorback Sports Network – will be the keynote speaker for the banquet, which will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19 in the Fayetteville Town Center on the downtown Fayetteville Square.

The  Recommitment Banquet will also feature a performance of “Bound by Blood,” the first play in the anthology King Me: Three One Act Plays Inspired by the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., written and directed by Clinnesha D. Sibley, assistant professor in the University of Arkansas Drama Department. Performers will be U of A drama students Britney Walker-Merritte and Brandyn Smith.

The annual MLK Scholarships will also be awarded during the banquet and four people and one area business will be honored for their outstanding community service.

For banquet ticket information, contact Danielle Wood at 479-575-4825, or visit www.nwamlk.org/mlk-banquet/tickets.

Two additional events will be held on the weekend before MLK Day. All day Saturday, Jan. 17, the Northwest Arkansas MLK Council will hold a Blanket, Hat, Scarf, and Glove Drive at St. James Baptist Church, 764 W. North Street in Fayetteville. New and gently used blankets will be collected for the Peace at Home Family Shelter, and fleece blankets will be made for children in the shelter. Gloves, scarves, and hats are also being collected in partnership with the Walton College Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the U of A Center for Community Engagement's Volunteer Action Committee during this and all other events during the MLK Day celebration. Students from the University of Arkansas will prepare these items for distribution to local programs working with children and the homeless in Northwest Arkansas.

A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan 18, also at St. James Baptist Church. This event is hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the NWA Martin Luther King Jr. Council. The featured speaker is Rev. Dwight Townsend of Little Rock.

These events are also free and the public is welcome.