Northwest Missouri State University will honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a week of activities, which begin with a morning of service projects and its annual peace brunch.

“This is a great time for us to come together and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Dr. Justin Mallett, Northwest’s associate provost of diversity and inclusion said. “As we continue to create and foster an inclusive environment, we invite community members along with our faculty, staff and students to join our celebration.”

All Northwest students and employees are invited to participate in service projects between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at a variety of Maryville locations. Participants will visit Lettuce Dream, the Children and Family Center of Northwest Missouri, Parkdale Manor and Oak Pointe. Individuals interested in participating should register online by clicking here.

The University’s ninth annual Peace Brunch is 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. A free hot breakfast buffet will be served, and the brunch will feature the Honorable Anne-Marie Clarke, 1970 Northwest alumna and retired judge, as its keynote speaker.

A native of St. Louis, Clarke earned her bachelor’s degree in political science in three years at Northwest and went on to Saint Louis University’s School of Law, where she earned her juris doctorate degree in 1973.

Clarke served the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of St. Louis for more than 33 years, until her retirement in March 2019, making her one of the longest-serving judicial officers on the city bench. Additionally, she was the first black member of the Board of Governors for The Missouri Bar and was appointed in 1993 by then-Gov. Mel Carnahan as a member of the City of St. Louis’ Board of Police Commissioners, making her the first black woman to serve on that board. She went on to serve four years as the first female president of the five-member Board of Police Commissioners.

Northwest’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week continues with additional activities throughout the week. All of the events are free and open to the public.

• From 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Black Student Union will host a CPR training class in Martindale Gymnasium.
• From 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. will host a toiletry drive in Student Union Meeting Room D. The group is collecting pads, tampons, travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, drawstring bags, lotion and Vaseline, and ChapStick.
• At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, in The Station center meeting room, the Men’s Minority Organization will host a movie night and screen “Selma.”
• From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, SISTAH will host a trivia night centered on black movies and cinema in the Student Union Ballroom. Prizes will be awarded.

Although Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929, his birthday has been observed as a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day, on the third Monday of each January since 1986.

In observance of the holiday, Northwest will not have classes Monday, Jan. 20, and all University offices are closed.

King’s effort to lead the American civil rights movement during the 1950s and ‘60s included the 1963 March on Washington. There, he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, which dramatically raised public consciousness about civil rights and established King as a world figure. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week events at Northwest are sponsored by Northwest’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. For more information, contact Mallett at jmallett@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1517.