On both Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15, the UIS Diversity Center partnered with the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center and the UIS Sangamon Experience to hold table events at the Student Union promoting their joint programming in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which occurred on Monday, January 19.

Student volunteer with the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, and also the current president of the UIS Student Government Association, Jazel Ware-Grant, explained the purpose behind the table events and shared how students could get more information on upcoming plans.

“We are here from the Volunteer Center to let people know about our MLK week.” Ware-Grant stated, “We have events that are coming out throughout the week, and if you’re interested, you can go to the Volunteer Center on UIS Connections for all of our events.”

The Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center has organized an entire week of events dedicated to MLK Jr. Day, which began on Monday with an MLK Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and an MLK March & Town Hall, starting at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church and ending at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

The third event planned for this week is a Fireside Chat entitled, “The Work Close to Home: Civil Rights Leadership in Springfield,” which will take place from 6-7pm on Wednesday, January 21 at the UIS Student Union.

The final event planned is the Care Kit Packaging Service Project, in the Student Leadership Center on Friday, January 23. Those interested in participating are encouraged to stop by at time between 1 and 4 pm.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to remember the courage and strength of Dr. King as he fought for civil rights and the rights of Black people in the United States. It is also a time to reflect on racial equality and justice in this country and to consider how each of us might contribute in the present to this historic struggle.