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IU Bloomington celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with 'A Call to All'

• Jan. 14, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Bloomington will remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a number of activities celebrating his legacy.

The theme for IU Bloomington’s celebration is “A Call to All” and will include a leadership breakfast, student volunteer opportunities, discussions on diversity and King’s legacy, and several other activities. 

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a U.S. federal holiday. 

“The MLK day of service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and teachings into actions that help solve social problems,” said James Wimbush, IU’s vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs. “That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, we are all called to celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers and create solutions.”

Broadcast journalist and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Leadership Breakfast on Jan. 18. O’Brien’s presentation, “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and In Our Lives,” will provide a behind-the-scenes look at her work and inspiring narratives about the importance of making a difference. The breakfast is sponsored by IU's Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. 

Winners of IU’s Building Bridges Award will be announced during the breakfast. The awards recognize individuals, groups of people and organizations that capture King’s vision, spirit and leadership. No tickets are left for the Leadership Breakfast. The breakfast will be broadcast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on broadcast.iu.edu to IU faculty, staff and students, who will need to log in using their username and passphrase.

IU will also help celebrate King’s birthday at a City of Bloomington event, taking place at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Brittany Packnett, executive director for Teach for America in St. Louis, Mo., will serve as keynote speaker. In 2014, Packnett was appointed to the Ferguson Commission and President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The event is free and open to the public.  

Other events:

• On Jan. 15 and 16, the IU Kelley School of Business will host the National Diversity Case Competition. Undergraduate students from institutions across the country will attend, and corporate partners will participate in the competition and workshops.
• The fourth annual “Revolution: Emergent Theatre Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. The event includes plays, spoken word, poetry, dance and movement performances by students from IU and Ivy Tech. The event is free and open to the public. IU and Ivy Tech students are encouraged to bring an ID.
• The IU School of Optometry, in conjunction with the Salvation Army, Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity students, the city of Bloomington and the Bloomington Lions Club, will host “Donate an Eye Exam” Day from 8:30 to 4 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Atwater Eye Care Center. The event will provide free eye exams and glasses to 60-plus Bloomington residents.
• “Celebrating the Legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. -- Discussion” takes place from 4 to 5 p.m. Jan. 18 in the East Tower, Room 157M in the Herman B Wells Library. The lecture and discussion will focus on King’s legacies of leadership, commitment and responsibility and how these can help in fostering lasting development in the community. The event is free and open to the public. ​
• IU’s La Casa Latino Cultural Center will host a showing of “Cesar Chavez,” a biopic about the life of the American labor leader. The event takes place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at La Casa, 715 E. Seventh Street. The event is free and open to the public.

More information about IU Martin Luther King Day events is available online.