A Letter from President Morton Schapiro and Provost Daniel Linzer
January 12, 2016
Northwestern University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration activities will take place from Monday, January 18, to Friday, January 29, 2016.
In order to promote service, reflection, and participation we have designated the national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (January 18, 2016) as a University holiday. Classes are canceled, and University offices are closed on this day. It is our hope that this offers all University community members the chance to reflect on the meaning of this observance. Whether that takes the form of engaging in a service activity within your community or attending a commemoration event such as Northwestern’s Candlelight Vigil service, which will be held at 7 p.m. that day, we encourage everyone to honor the life and legacy of the late Dr. King.
Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration at Northwestern began years before the national holiday was established and decades before the construction of the King Memorial in Washington, D.C. Alpha Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity established the first MLK Day at Northwestern in 1980, 12 years after Dr. King's assassination. Later, the commemoration became an official University-wide holiday with programming on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses.
The Evanston campus MLK Commemoration Committee and the Chicago campus D.R.E.A.M. (Day in Remembrance of the Accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Committee have developed a series of events that provide numerous opportunities for discussion, service, and celebration. We strongly encourage your participation in these activities.
Among the highlights of this year’s program will be a keynote address by Nicholas Pearce, an award-winning Clinical Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management. He will speak at the Alice Millar Chapel Candlelight Vigil at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 18, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Mu chapter.
On Monday, January 25, Diane Nash, civil rights activist and founding member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, will give a keynote address on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. The Chicago campus event will take place at noon in Thorne Auditorium, followed by the Evanston campus keynote at 6 p.m. at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, featuring musical selections by the Northwestern Community Ensemble and others. All events are free and open to the public.
Morton Schapiro
President and Professor
Daniel Linzer
Provost and Professor