2022 MLK Celebration Features Jazz, Community Conversation, Art Festival

January 11, 2022 - Henry Mochida and Greg Teachout

Michigan State University’s 42nd annual celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will start January 14 and last until Friday, January 21. The public is encouraged to attend the collection of events occurring throughout the week. This year's celebration events will be offered virtually. 

The 2022 MLK keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Tamura Lomax at the Community Conversation program on January 17, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. ET, Zoom. President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. and Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D. will provide opening and closing remarks. This year’s celebration theme is: “Where Do We Go from Here – Chaos or Community?” 

Events this year include: 

• Jan. 16 - College of Music Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest
• Jan. 17 - MLK Community Conversation
• Jan. 17 - 21 - MSU Libraries and WKAR film screenings and conversations, “Five Nights Toward Freedom” 
• Jan. 20 - 5th Annual Social Justice Art Festival
• Through Jan. 25 - Stuff the Library Book Drive

“As the struggle for human and civil rights continues to plague our nation and the world, reflecting upon Dr. King’s life, work and legacy provides the encouragement and hope we all need during these challenging and uncertain times,” said Dr. Bennett.

The celebration is hosted each year by the MLK Planning Committee, a collection of individuals from MSU and the local community. The committee is supported by those within MSU’s Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.

“Every year for the past 42 years, students, faculty, staff and administrators come together to make each event better than the previous one,” said Audrey Bentley, head of the MLK Planning Committee and senior outreach coordinator in the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. “COVID has challenged us, but we persevere and succeed at offering outstanding virtual events. We invite the community to join us in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Additional events, open to the general public, include the MLK Personal Day of Service, a presentation on COVID-19 and racism in healthcare; the MLK Student Leadership Conference; and an interactive discussion with Mary Ellen Norwood-Ford, who will offer a firsthand account of bearing witness to Dr. King’s assassination in 1968. 

Visit the MLK calendar to view all events