Martin Luther King’s legacy to be honored in month-long celebration


FIU’s Office of Multicultural Programs and Services will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a month-long celebration inspired by King’s life and work.

The 24th annual MLK Commemorative Celebration events will take place throughout January. More than 3,000 people are expected to participate.
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One of the highlights will be the annual MLK Day of Service, which will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, located at 6000 NW 32nd Ct. in Miami. More than 400 students, faculty, staff and community members are expected to participate in volunteer projects throughout MLK Park, including painting, clean up of debris, restoration of a baseball diamond and park pavilions. In addition, the Miami Dolphins Special Teams, a unique volunteer organization made up of Miami Dolphins staff, players and alumni, will work alongside the FIU team to refurbish an educational room at the Gwen Cherry Park in Miami. Registration is required at leadserve.fiu.edu.

Other FIU MLK Commemorative Celebration events include:

  • The sold out MLK Commemorative Breakfast will take place on Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 a.m. in the Graham Center ballrooms at the Modesto A. Maidique campus (MMC), 11200 SW 8th Street in Miami, with keynote speaker Farai Chideya, an award-winning author, journalist, professor and lecturer. In addition, the MLK Peace and Service Awards will be presented and students will perform to honor King.

To read an FIU interview with Chideya, click here.


  • On Monday, Jan. 19, FIU students, faculty, and staff will participate in the MLK Parade in Liberty City. The parade will take place along Northwest 54th Street, from Northwest 10th Avenue to 32nd Avenue starting at 8 a.m. The parade is open to the public.
  • The College of Engineering & Computing is hosting a reception, “MLK Evening with the Engineers” on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. in room 2300 of the FIU Engineering Campus, 10555 West Flagler St. This event is open to the public.
  •  The Youth Forum and Peace Walk will take place, in conjunction with Miami-Dade and Broward County schools, on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. in the Wolfe University Center Ballroom at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus (BBC), 3000 NE 151st Street in North Miami. The keynote speaker will be Shaun Derik, speaker and performing artist. This event is free and open to the public.

To read an FIU interview with Derik, click here.


  • “Of Ebony Embers & Langston Hughes” is a chamber music theatre work celebrating the lives of the great African American poets, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay as seen through the eyes of the great muralist and painter Aaron Douglas. The musical score includes works by Jazz giants Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Billy Strayhorn, Thelonius Monk, and Charles Mingus as well as concert music by Jeffrey Mumford and George Walker. The musical performance will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center at MMC. The event is free and open to the public.
  • The Black Student Union Council sponsors the MLK Dinner, taking place on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Graham Center Middle Ballroom at MMC. MLK Youth Forum Speaker Shaun Derik will be speaking at the dinner where there will also be tributes to King, a performance by a local band, dancers and spoken word poetry. The event is free and only open to FIU students, faculty and staff. Space is limited.
  •  FIU Student Programming Council will present MLK Movie Night: “Dear White People” on Friday, Jan. 23 with showings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. in room 140 of the Graham Center at MMC. Each screening will be followed by a brief discussion of the film. The movie is free and only open to FIU students, faculty and staff with valid ID. Seating is limited. Click here to watch a trailer of the film.
  • MLK Law Evening “Defining Social Justice in the 21st Century” by Michelle Denise Mason will take place Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. in Graham Center room 140 at MMC. This event is free and open to the public.
  • “Phyllis McEwen does Zora Neale Hurston” is a monologue that will take place on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m. in Graham Center room 140 at MMC. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on FIU’s MLK Commemorative Celebration, events and ticket information please click here or contact the Office of Multicultural Programs at 305-348-2436.