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Northwest Missouri State University’s Center for Engagement and Community Connection will commemorate the work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual Celebration Week, Monday, Jan. 19, through Friday, Jan. 23.
The activities, which are free and open to the public, culminate with Northwest’s annual Peace Luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. The luncheon honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy and will feature Northwest alumna Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge as the keynote speaker.
The luncheon also includes the presentation of Northwest’s Community Impact Awards, which honor individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the well-being and continual improvement of Northwest and the broader Maryville community.
“MLK Celebration Week honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by recognizing the history of social movements and challenging us to carry that work forward,” Dr. Shay Malone, Northwest’s assistant vice president of institutional excellence and global engagement, said. “At its core, this celebration is about building community connection through understanding, service and shared responsibility.”
Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge
Westbrooks-Hodge, a 1991 graduate of Northwest and native of St. Louis, retired as a general partner at Edward Jones Investments, where she led enterprise-wide technology audit and risk strategy. Her three-decade career included senior leadership roles with Express Scripts, Anheuser-Busch and Bank of America, where she built nationally recognized programs in governance, risk management and operational excellence.
Westbrooks-Hodge also serves on the Missouri State Board of Education, where she helps shape statewide education policy, chairs the Strategic Planning Committee and serves on the Governor’s School Funding Modernization Task Force. Additionally, she is president of the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation, which preserves the story of her second great-grandmother, an enslaved Missouri woman whose 1855 act of self-defense against sexual violence and subsequent execution stand as a defining moment in the state’s legal and moral history.
In addition to her bachelor’s degree in finance from Northwest, she holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and professional certifications in financial, operational and information systems auditing.
The Celebration Week’s activities also include a movie screening, art exhibit and poetry night, coinciding with discussions and lectures. A complete schedule and additional details are provided below.
For more information, contact Malone at smalone@nwmissouri.edu or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/connection/programs/mlk.htm.
Latonya Davis Harrison, a coordinator in Northwest's Center for Engagement and Community Connection greeted people attending last year's MLK Peace Luncheon. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. at Northwest will collect school supplies for the students in Kansas City, Missouri. Needed items include composition books, highlight, pens and pencils, calculators, colored copy paper, winter gloves, scarves and hats.
Items may be delivered to a drop-off location inside the Center for Engagement and Community Connection on the second floor of the the Student Union.
Hosted in partnership with Northwest’s School of Education, “Ruby Bridges” tells the true story of the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South and whose courage became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
Reserve tickets at bit.ly/northwestrubybridges.
Norman Spencer, a St. Louis-based printmaker, will discuss his artwork in conjunction with the opening of his exhibit in the Olive DeLuce Art Gallery. His work is inspired by the relationship between people and their environments, with a strong focus on nature, identity and the hands-on, meditative practice of block printing.
In this Fireside Chat, Spencer will lead an informal conversation, sharing personal stories, creative processes, sources of inspiration and the challenges that shape his artistic journey.
Northwest Professor of History Dr. Elyssa Ford will discuss the history of Emancipation Day. African Americans across the United States commemorated the end of slavery, and celebrations took place in Nodaway County between the 1880s and 1930s.
In partnership with the Black Student Union at Northwest, the public is invited to a spoken word and open mic experience that celebrates community voices and shared stories. Through poetry, music and performance, participants will explore themes of unity, identity and the ongoing effort to create a more compassionate and inclusive world.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy, Northwest will host its annual MLK Peace Luncheon. Enjoy lunch and fellowship with colleagues, students and members of the Northwest community while the program features music, a keynote address by Northwest alumna Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge and the presentation of Community Impact Awards.
Register for the Peace Luncheon at bit.ly/nwmlk2026.
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 on Monday, Jan. 19, 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 on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
