Hope College will commemorate national Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a week-long opportunity to be exposed to the significant people, policies and events that have contributed to the quest for racial equity and social justice.
The Civil Rights Week event, running Monday-Friday, Jan. 18-22, will feature more than 20 social media posts that provide information about events or milestones since the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
“Due to the current COVID restrictions and the inability to gather in person, CDI is utilizing a virtual experience as a way to raise awareness and educate the Hope community about a number of significant moments in the fight for social justice and equity through the accessible medium of social media,” said Jevon Willis, who is interim director of the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion. “It is our hope that the campus community will be inspired to think critically while deeply examining the progress made and the progress yet to be made in advancing equity and social justice.”
Each post will include a link that will take the viewer to an online article featuring more information about the topic that is pictured. The presentations will be available via Facebook and Twitter.
The Civil Rights Week of Milestones is sponsored by the college’s Center for Diversity
and Inclusion, Van Wylen Library and multicultural student organizations.
The college’s annual Civil Rights Week honors all persons and groups who have worked
toward the advancement of civil rights and social justice, and is organized in conjunction
with the national commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which this
year is being observed on Monday, Jan. 18. The program traditionally includes a keynote
lecture in addition to other activities, but has been adjusted this year due to the
global COVID-19 pandemic, both to limit in-person gatherings and because the college’s
spring semester classes are scheduled to begin on Monday, Jan. 25.