Auburn University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week to feature speakers, service opportunities

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Auburn University will offer several campus wide events and service opportunities as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week January 20-24.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Reclaiming the Dream: A New Vision For the Future.” The week will kick off with a breakfast featuring keynote speaker civil rights activist Bernard Lafayette. The event will take place at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 20 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. The cost is $35 per person and table reservations are available by visiting this link.

“With this annual week of celebration, we honor the legacy and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and encourage all in the Auburn-Opelika community to further the ideals he imparted through active engagement and service for the betterment of our world,” said Ada Wilson, assistant vice president for access and inclusive excellence.

As part of the week’s celebration, a day of service opportunity will be offered at 11 a.m. on Jan. 20 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference. This is in partnership with the East Alabama Food Bank. Participants will assist with packing weekend and overnight book bags for children who experience hunger. Individuals interested in volunteering can register here.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., Auburn’s Critical Conversations Speaker Series will continue with a talk by Eddie Glaude, Jr., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. For more information on that series, go here.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, a “Lunch and Learn” focused on the topic of “Financial Freedom as a Form of Social Activism” will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center, rooms 2222 and 2223. The featured speakers for that event are Kiersten and Julien Saunders, personal finance experts and co-creators of the award-winning blog, “rich & REGULAR.” A second “Lunch and Learn” event on “Race in America: A Reflection of the Last Decade” will occur from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at Auburn’s Cross Culture Center for Excellence in the Student Center.

The final event of the week involves a community service outreach effort at the East Alabama Food Bank from 7-9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

For more information and to register for the MLK Celebration Week events, go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/mlkweek/.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.