Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 2019
MLK Jr. Kids Day
TBD | TBD | James Monroe High School
Children from the Fredericksburg area are invited to enjoy games, activities, and crafts to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the community MLK celebration. The event is sponsored by the Fredericksburg-area Partnership for Academic Excellence. Students are asked to register online on MyUMW.
The University of Mary Washington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
Wednesday, Jan. 23 • 7 p.m. • Chandler Ballroom, University Center
Sponsored by the Office of the President
MLK Keynote Speaker Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr. has devoted his life to carrying out the orders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave to him in 1968, “Institutionalize and internationalize nonviolence.” A longtime civil rights activist and organizer, minister, educator, and lecturer, he is an authority on Dr. King’s strategy of nonviolent social change. In 1960, he was a co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Nashville Movement lunch counter sit-ins; in 1961 he was a leader of the Freedom Rides along with Dr. James Farmer.
In 1962, he directed the Alabama voter registration project in Selma. Dr. King appointed Dr. LaFayette national program administrator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and national coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign. Dr. LaFayette has written many publications; among them is In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma, which he wrote with Kathryn Lee Johnson. Rep. John Lewis wrote in his foreword to the book, “A powerful history of struggle, commitment, and hope. No one, but no one, who lived through the creation and development of the movement for voting rights in Selma is better prepared to tell this story than Bernard LaFayette himself.” This book was honored with the prestigious Lillian Smith Book Award in May 2014.
MLK Jr. Day of Service
TBD | Chandler Ballroom, University Center
The UMW MLK Day of Service provides students a way to give back to their community to honor the legacy of Dr. King and his commitment to strengthening communities. Many different service projects, which will be donated to various agencies in the Fredericksburg area, will be available for students to complete. Afterward, a discussion will take place regarding servant leadership and working toward social change.
A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. All members of the campus community are invited to participate. Please register online on MyUMW.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540/654-1044 or umwjfmc@gmail.com .