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Dec. 1, 2022
By Kourtnie Stenwall, communication assistant
Northwest Missouri State University will commemorate the work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual Celebration Week, beginning Monday, Jan. 16.
Dr. Justin Mallett, the assistant vice president of diversity and inclusion at Northwest, will present the state of diversity and inclusion at the University as part of its Celebration Week activities.
“Dr. King was and is a very influential figure in our history,” Dr. Justin Mallett, the assistant vice president of diversity and inclusion at Northwest, said. “It is important for all of us to come together to share in the vision that Dr. King had for this entire country.”
In conjunction with the national observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, all are invited to the University’s annual Peace Lunch at 11:30 a.m. in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom. The program will feature a performance by the Kansas City Boys and Girls Choir and a keynote address by Northwest alumna Kimberly Massey Cole.
Prior to the Peace Lunch, Mallett will present the state of diversity and inclusion at Northwest at 10 a.m. in the Student Union Boardroom.
A complete schedule and additional details regarding Northwest’s MLK Celebration Week are provided below.
“People should attend the events during Martin Luther King Jr. week to further learn and grow for themselves,” Mallett said. “They will get not only an educational perspective but an opportunity to interact with people from different identities, which is something that just doesn’t come from watching television or reading the newspaper.”
Although Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929, his birthday has been observed as a national holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on the third Monday of each January since 1986.
In observance of the holiday, Northwest will not have classes Monday, Jan. 16, 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 activities at Northwest are sponsored by the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. For more information, contact Mallett at jmallett@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1317.
10 a.m., Student Union Boardroom
Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Justin Mallett will present the state of diversity and inclusion at Northwest.
11:30 a.m., Student Union Ballroom
Kimberly Massey Cole
A free hot lunch buffet will be provided in conjunction with a keynote address by Northwest alumna Kimberly Massey Cole and entertainment from the Kansas City Boys and Girls Choir.
Cole received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northwest and has a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. She is the director of marketing alliance programs at Ameriprise Financial, where she has worked in various roles during the last 13 years. Cole is also a member of the Northwest Alumni Association Board.
The Kansas City Boys and Girls Choir was formed in 1995 by music artist Ah’Lee Robinson, making it one of the oldest African American youth choral groups in the region. Both boys and girls choirs have performed in Washington D.C. and with Leslie Odom Jr. at the Kauffman Center of the Performing Arts. It fuses classical choral music with traditional spirituals, Broadway show tunes, contemporary gospel music, hymns, folk songs and other traditional forms of music.
6 p.m., Student Union Boardroom
In this film, key figures from the civil rights movement are highlighted to show the movement involved more than just Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The documentary film features personal, firsthand accounts from people who lived through the turbulence of the civil rights movement.
7 p.m., Mary Linn Auditorium, Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts
Inky Johnson
Inky Johnson is a motivational speaker who has traveled the nation for more than a decade, sharing his story to help inspire others to become the best versions of themselves.
Johnson was captain of the football team for two years at the University of Tennessee, where he started as a cornerback. By his junior year, he was projected as a top-30 NFL draft pick. However, in 2006, he sustained a life-threatening, career-ending injury that left his right arm and hand paralyzed. As a result, Johnson began speaking about his experiences to impact the lives of others and inspire audiences to persevere and excel in the midst of adversity. For more information about Inky Johnson, visit https://www.inkyjohnson.com.
