FIU’s 31st annual MLK celebration to include keynote speaker, parade, art exhibition, and more

January 12, 2022 at 2:20pm

FIU’s Office of Social Justice and Inclusion (OSJI) will host the 31st annual Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration, featuring renowned scholar, author, and commentator Eddie Glaude, Jr. from Princeton University, as this year’s Dotson Family MLK Keynote Speaker.

Centered on the theme Disrupting Inequity, the 2022 MLK Commemorative Breakfast will take place on Friday, Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. at the Graham Center Ballrooms on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Glaude, who is the James S. McDonnell distinguished university professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton. Glaude combines a scholar’s knowledge of history, a political commentator’s take on the latest events, and an activist’s passion for social justice. Glaude challenges all citizens to examine their collective American conscience, "not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew."

FIU’s signature event honoring the life and legacy of King supports the university’s MLK scholarship endowment and Youth Forum initiatives.

Media interested in attending either virtually or in person may contact Gaby Aguirrechu.

In addition to the MLK Commemorative Celebration, other events honoring King include:

MLK Day of Service: On Saturday, Jan. 15 at 9 a.m. hundreds of students will participate in service opportunities through FIU’s Center for Leadership and Service. These include a beautification project and beach clean-up at Deering Estate on 17350 Old Cutler Rd, Palmetto Bay; support for women and children experiencing homelessness by assisting the operation team at Lotus House on 217 NW 15^th St., Miami in cleaning, organizing, meal prep and serving food; and creating paracord bracelets and writing letters on campus for Operation Gratitude, in support of first responders, veterans, deployed troops, and wounded heroes.
Liberty City MLK Parade: On Monday, Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. FIU will participate in Liberty City’s annual MLK Parade, alongside the South Florida community. The blue and gold float will cruise down Northwest 54^th Street with a delegation of students, faculty, and staff in celebration of King’s lifelong dedication to equality, social justice, and peace.
MLK @ The Frost Art Museum FIU Exhibit- Disrupting Anti-Blackness: From Jan. 25 to May 29 the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum-FIU, located on FIU’s MMC campus, will feature Disrupting Anti-Blackness: Artists Voicing Truths, which invites dialogue about systemic abuses of power and local, national, and global responses to these injustices. This exhibition seeks to recognize the prevalence of anti-Blackness while affirming Black life and experiences. Featured artists include Mel Chin, Patrick Martinez, Woosler Delisfort, Rhea Leonard, Vanessa Charlot, Hank Willis Thomas, Amberly Alene, and Victor Ekpuk. The exhibition’s opening celebration will take place on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. and will feature a special performance by Bahamian artist and dancer A'Keitha Carey. This exhibition is curated by professors Andrea Queeley and Valerie Patterson, both from FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. It's part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Exhibition Series, which addresses issues of race, diversity, social justice, civil rights, and humanity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue and to enrich the community with new perspectives.

For more on FIU’s MLK Commemorative Celebration, please visit the Division of Academic & Student Affairs MLK Events webpage or contact the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion at 305-348-2436.