This year Grand Valley State University is hosting a series of events commemorating the life and legacy of civil rights champion Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK).
Over the decades since King’s assassination, Americans have been engaging around the topic of race at the national and community levels.
As we look at his life and meaning of his message, it is clear that even after all the dialogue we still in our very fractured nation have a lot of work to do around the topic of racial inequality.
However, while this issue may be polarizing to some, it is a conversation that we need to have as we seek to repair our past and move forward together as a people into the future. In my opinion, we need to embrace these commemoration events as they bring us into a dialogue on MLK’s mission for humankind.
GVSU’s Hauenstein Center in partnership with the college’s Division of Inclusion and Equity are hosting a special MLK public event on race and the American Dream at the Eberhard Center.
Jason Riley, columnist and editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times Magazine’s award-winning staff writer Nikole Hannah-Jones will be a part of panel examining the progress made during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as looking at our present day and future as we seek to build a more equitable (and fair) society.
Given the level of public discord on this topic even after MLK’s death, it is critically vital that we listen to history as we move forward to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of our past.
Admission: Free
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