“Once again, the MU Office of Intercultural Affairs is elated to join the Cabell-Huntington Branch of the NAACP to sponsor the Traditional MLK Jr. March,” said Maurice Cooley, associate vice president for intercultural affairs. “We have also joined together to sponsor the MLK Jr. Observance Day Celebration at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse, on Marshall’s Huntington campus, commencing at 5:30 p.m., shortly following the march.”
Monday’s march will form at 4 p.m. at Elm Street and Ninth Avenue in front of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The march will begin at 4:30 p.m., proceeding up Ninth Avenue to 19th Street, left to Eighth Avenue down to Hal Greer Boulevard, under the overpass to Fifth Avenue and east to the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. A trolley will be available for those with difficulty walking. The march will end at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse and at 5:30 p.m. the annual Martin Luther King Jr. observance program will take place, showcasing the Marshall University Chamber Choir, a liturgical performance by The Body, “I Have a Dream” speech by Arley Ray Johnson, and “King’s Dreams of Progress” voiced by community leaders. The program will be followed by a reception in the playhouse lobby.
“We must all remain steadfast and vigilantly address the need for peaceful coexistence of people in all of our American and global societies,” Cooley said. “Remaining silent these days about hatred, inequality and disenfranchisement of certain people should no longer be considered, nor tolerated.”
On Friday, Jan. 19, Marshall students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in a Day of Service honoring King, beginning with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. More information is available online at www.marshall.edu/diversity/mlk.