Calendar of Events

Justice for All: A Legacy of Courage and Commitment

A variety of exciting and educational opportunities will be offered to the MSU community in celebration of the legacy of Dr. King and historical events that took place in our nation and on our campus.

MLK questions can be directed to Florensio Hernandez. Contacts for individual events will also be listed below in the calendar.

MLK event graphic for 2026.

2026 Events

If you are holding an event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. in 2026, please share details using our event submission form.

All Week

MLK Commemorative Celebration Stuff the Library Event
Hosted by: Alumni Office / Center for Community Engaged Learning / University Health and Wellbeing – MSU Student Food Bank

Event Description
Imagine a world where all children can see themselves in the pages of a book. Imagine a world where books can be windows to learn about other cultures, critical contributors to our world, and movements that have helped to shape our nation.

The MSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration Planning Committee is hosting another Stuff the Library event as a component of this year's celebration to benefit East Lansing Public Schools. The event aims to fill school libraries with books on social justice topics and characters representing diverse backgrounds.

Learn more and give to support this effort online: givingto.msu.edu/causes-to-support/crowdpower/dr-martin-luther-king-commemorative-celebration

Stuff the Library will run through Feb. 28, 2026.

Give to the MLK Jr. Day Fund and help make a difference!
Will you help us reach our goal of $5,000 and over 1,000 books donated? Through our partnerships with local schools and organizations, your support helps raise awareness around social justice, assists in promoting books with diverse representations or characters, stories, and authors and gets the books into the hands of children aged 0-18 in the City of East Lansing.

*Gifts to the MLK Jr. Day Fund support the purchase of books for this project by the MSU Center for Community Engaged Learning. Books can also be dropped off at various locations across campus or purchased directly through committee's Amazon Wishlist.*

You can also mail or drop off books to:

MSU Student Food Bank
Olin Heath Center, 463 E Circle Drive - Suite 151

The Main Library
366 W Circle Drive

The Graduate School
Chittenden Hall – 466 W Circle Dr.

The Multicultural Center
535 N Shaw Lane

WKAR
404 Wilson Rd

You can also mail books to:
MSU Student Food Bank
C/O MLK Stuff the Library
463 E Circle Drive
Olin Heath Center, Suite 151
East Lansing MI 48824

Event Contact
- Dan DiMaggio, Director of Student Engagement for MSU Alumni Office/University Advancement, dimaggi2@msu.edu

Thursday, Jan. 15

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner
Hosted by: Residence Education and Housing Services / Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact / Residence Halls Association

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
5-7:30 p.m. (doors open at 4:45 p.m.)

Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, Big Ten Rooms
219 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48824

Registration
Registration is available online: go.msu.edu/mlkrsvp26. This is a free event, and pre-registration is required. Seating is limited, and the registration form will automatically turn off when capacity has been reached. Everyone who makes reservations should receive an email with tickets to the event. If you attempt to register and do not receive an email with tickets, please email REHSengage@rhs.msu.edu.

IMPORTANT: If you register for the dinner, and are unable to make it, please go in and cancel your tickets so someone else may attend.

Event Description
Please join us for a wonderful buffet dinner and program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy!

In addition to the great food and the ambiance crafted by the amazing Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center staff, there will be a Keynote speaker, Graduate and Undergraduate speakers, as well as musical performances. MSU President Dr. Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer Dr. Jabbar Bennett will give remarks. The recipients of the MLK Endowed Scholarship will also be announced.

The Keynote Speaker this year is Dr. Terry Flennaugh, Associate Dean of Access and Community Engagement in the Department of Teacher Education. Also an associate professor, he specializes in race, culture and equity in education. His research focuses primarily on the educational experiences of Black males and other students of color in urban contexts. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, he examines the sense-making processes involved in constructing identities that lead to high academic performance in urban schools. He also studies issues of educational access and equity for communities of color in addition to single-sex educational spaces for urban youth.

Event Contact
- REHS, REHSengage@rhs.msu.edu
Coffee and Conversation
Hosted by: MSU Women of Color Community / The Graduate School

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
9-10:30 a.m.

Chittenden Hall, Room 110

Registration
Registration for this event is available online: msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSbdfclwalsQEJg

Event Description
The MSU Women of Color Community will be hosting Coffee and Conversation featuring Dr. LaShawn D. Harris moderated by Dean of The Graduate School Pero G. Dagbovie. Please join us for an engaging discussion on the contributions, challenges, and legacy of black women in civil rights, equity, and social justice. The first 30 to register and attend will receive a free copy of Dr. Harris’s book: Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & the Police Killing That Galvanized New York City.

Event Contact
- Melissa Del Rio, mdelrio@msu.edu
MLK Lunch and Learn: The Legacy of Leadership Over the Decades

Hosted by: MSU Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES) / Council of Advocacy and Marginalized Students (CAMS)

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
12-1:30 p.m.

Multicultural Center
Rooms 1015 and 1020 (Multipurpose Room A & B)

Event Description
Join alumni of the MSU Council of Racial and Ethnic Students (CORES) and the Council of Advocacy and Marginalized Students (CAMS), who will share wisdom for current and future Spartans on the journey to justice as envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students will have the opportunity to interact with former Spartans as they recount their experiences in pursuit of justice on campus. Lunch will be provided to the first 150 students. Pre-registration is not necessary.

Sunday, Jan. 18

Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest Concert
Hosted by: MSU College of Music

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026
3 p.m.

Fairchild Theatre
542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI

Registration
This event is free and open to the public. Ticket required for entry. Tickets can be purchased online: music.msu.edu/event/jazz-spirituals-prayer-and-protest-concert-2

Event Description
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, this powerful annual concert blends music and message through the lens of jazz. Featuring the MSU Jazz Orchestras and jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford, joined by MSU jazz voice students, the performance offers a stirring tribute through spirituals, reflective works, and bold expressions of hope and justice.

Generously sponsored by Pat and Mary McPharlin.

Tuesday, Jan. 20

Finding Your Voice with Your Vote (Panel Discussion)
Hosted by: WKAR / MSU Libraries / MSU GSCC / MSU AJB / MSU CS4DS

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026
6-7:30 p.m.

WKAR Studio A
Communication Arts and Sciences Building

Registration
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is appreciated. Learn more and RSVP online: wkar.org/in-your-community/2025-12-15/join-us-finding-your-voice-with-your-vote

Event Description
Get inspired to honor a legacy with the power of the vote. Casting a vote in an election is the greatest tool of political power citizens of a democracy possess. The ability to exercise this right has been fought for over centuries, spanning generations. Join the conversation as a panel of experts explore featured clips from the PBS program John Lewis: Get in the Way, and discuss the history behind voting rights, breakdown how your vote is counted, and share how you can harness this essential tool of democracy to honor the legacy of advocates that came before us.

Scheduled panel includes:
- Christina L. Myers, PhD, assistant professor in school of journalism at MSU, consortium core faculty with communication solutions for diverse society, and faculty advisor of MSUABJ
- Suchrita Webster, director of student and community relations at MSU and co-chair of MSU Vote
- Moderated by: Sophia Saliby, WKAR local All Things Considered host, reporter and producer.
The discussion will feature clips from the 2017 program John Lewis: Get in the Way, with the full 54-minute program available for streaming on PBS with a Passport account.

Event Contact
- Emily Mata-Garnaat, emilym@wkar.org

Wednesday, Jan. 21

Why We March: From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter
Hosted by: MSU Libraries

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026
1-4 p.m.

MSU Libraries
Seminar Room, First Floor

Event Description
Join MSU Libraries for a pop-up exhibition to highlight historical marches and commemorate the anniversary of the March on Washington.

The exhibition showcases a collection of 40 protest posters compiled at the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963.

At the original March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his seminal I Have a Dream speech in front of 260,000 people, stemming from a rapidly growing tide of grassroots support and outrage over the nation’s racial inequalities. In 2020, the nation marched once again under the Black Lives Matter social movement that aimed to also highlight racism, discrimination and racial inequality experienced by African Americans and to promote anti-racism. The primary concerns were police brutality, and racially motivated violence against African Americans.

Event Contact
- Erik Ponder, African and African American Studies Librarian, ponderer@msu.edu

Thursday, Jan. 22

Martin Luther King Jr. Observance by MSU Medical Colleges

Hosted by: College of Human Medicine / College of Nursing / College of Osteopathic Medicine / College of Veterinary Medicine / MSU Health Sciences

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026
6-7:30 p.m.

Multicultural Center, Room 1015
535 N Shaw Lane, East Lansing, MI
Online option available for those outside of East Lansing

Event Description
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the MSU Medical Colleges invite you to a discussion
with Michael A. Henderson, DO, FAOCR.

An MSU alumnus and radiologist, Michael Henderson is a champion for osteopathic patient
care and community-based medicine. Dr. Henderson's work includes training future leaders
and researchers in whole-person care, as well as cultural responsiveness and youth
empowerment.

Registration
RSVP online: msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rf86sd8Ls3eUrI

Friday, Jan. 23

9th Annual University-Wide Diversity Research Showcase
Hosted by: Honors College

Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
1:30-4:45 p.m.

Campbell Hall and Online

Event Description
This university-wide event is hosted by the Honors College, with support from: Broad College of Business; College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in partnership with AgBio Research and MSU Extension; College of Communication Arts and Sciences; MSU Libraries; Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact; Student Life & Engagement; and the Undergraduate Research Office.

Join us to celebrate outstanding student research and the many voices driving meaningful change. The Diversity Research Showcase invites undergraduate students to share their work with peers, faculty, staff, and community members in a supportive, constructive setting. Featuring research projects that span cultural, racial, ethnic, functional, gender, international, LGBTQIA2S+, and political diversity, the event highlights the breadth of scholarship shaping a more inclusive world. The program concludes with a brief ceremony recognizing standout poster and oral presentations with monetary awards.

Event Registration
Registration is available online: symposium.foragerone.com/drs2026/registration. There is no cost to attend.

Learn more about the event on the Honors College website.

Event Contact
- Melanie Brender, brenderm@msu.edu