NKU’s African American Student Initiatives (AASI) office is hosting a variety of events that center around the life of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most notable figures of the civil rights movement.
The first event is a luncheon on Friday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m. featuring speaker Dr. Joshua Harris, an NKU alumni and pastor of First Gethsemane Church in Louisville. The focus of his speech will be “the time is now,” and the event will take place in the Student Union ballroom. RSVPs are requested and may be done at this link.
“I thought it was important to bring [Harris] back to allow him an opportunity to be in front of what he considers to be his people, his Norse family, to give us a word or a message or even some encouragement about how the the time is now. That can be applied in so many different ways. For a lot of people it might mean that it’s the time to be involved more or the time to give back more. However that can be applied as long as it goes toward unity,” said the Director of AASI, Greg Moore.
At this event, faculty and staff who have had unity at the core of their career will be recognized, along with the fraternity Martin Luther King Jr. was involved in, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Following this event on Friday night is “Evening with the King Unity Showcase,” an open showcase for anyone who attends to display their creative work, so long as the message surrounds unity; these displays can be in the form of dance, song, visual art and more. The showcase will also be in the SU ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
The next day, Jan. 12, is MLK Day of Service to give students the opportunity to give back to the greater community. As of now, there are around 150 people signed up to participate, according to the director.
The series ends on Jan. 15 with NKU students joining the 49th Annual Freedom March put on by the MLK Coalition. Moore encourages students to attend to show unity and community, wearing NKU gear or merch from an organization they belong to.
“It’s time for us to hopefully take a hold of what our lives could look like from a different lens. There are concerns when it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Martin Luther King was really intentional about his dream of having everyone from different backgrounds, cultures, walks of life coming together in unity and simply enjoying each other. However that looks,” Moore said.