Each year, the U’s Office for Equity and Diversity hosts a celebration to honor the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. During this year’s week-long event, beginning Jan. 16 and ending Jan. 23, the U will host guests, rallies and panels.

The Residence Hall Association’s Social Justice Board will hold a 1.3 mile march from East High School to Presidents Circle on Monday, Jan. 20. The march will begin at 2:30 p.m. The board will be bussing students down to East High from the Peterson Heritage Center and will be passing out hand-warmers to marchers.

Joseph Glancy, the Social Justice board director and a sophomore in accounting, said, “I think MLK, Jr. Day is sometimes brushed over. My goal with this program is to give students an opportunity to take their day off and learn what this holiday is really about.”

He hopes the event will encourage participants to donate to the Rev. France A. Davis Scholarship, a scholarship that provides African American students with financial assistance, mentoring and academic support.

Neelam Chand, director of communication and development in the Office for Equity and Diversity, said there is not just one important event students should be watching out for. He said all of the events are planned to “help start the discussion on racial profiling.”

Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, will be on campus Thursday, Jan. 16. There will also be a panel on Wednesday, Jan. 22 with spoken-word poetry by Joaquin Zihuatanejo.

“It’s important that [Fulton] comes to speak to students to be able to shed light on racial profiling and to create a space for that discussion, and to show what it looks like to overcome it,” Chand said.

Chand anticipates students will gain a new understanding of racial profiling from the events of the week, which is titled “Beneath the Hoodie: A Look on Racial Profiling in America.”

“Dr. King Jr. impacted the world in such an unimaginable magnitude, and the message he gave is powerful and still applies to us today,” Glancy said.

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