Honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15, 2021
“We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a
community at peace with itself.”
– The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Jan. 18, 2021, the Roanoke College community joined in the national observance of the birth and legacy of a man whose name has become synonymous with engendering change through nonviolent means.
It was a day to reflect on Dr. King’s dream for equality, fairness and human decency; to learn of his contributions to the civil rights movement; and to hear impassioned words that resonate as powerfully today as they did more than 60 years ago.
This celebration will continue throughout February, the month nationally designated to recognize the role of Black Americans in U.S. history. College events and programs will include teach-ins, workshops, service learning activities and a keynote speaker.
A focal point of these activities will be a quote that appears in Dr. King’s 1958 book “Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story:”
“We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself.”
More information about February events will be shared later this month. Please stay tuned. Until then, if you did not have an opportunity to take part in the College’s Martin Luther King Jr. day of observance activities, we invite you do so. Information appears below.
- Listen to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the Aug. 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. A transcript of the speech can be found here. (Audio courtesy of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Transcript courtesy of the NAACP.)
- Peruse a virtual book display, created by the College’s Fintel Library, with selected resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The display can be found here, in the first entry listed.
- View a video on Roanoke College’s Instagram and Facebook pages of personal reflections from members of the College community on the topic: “What Martin Luther King Jr. means to me.”
Past MLK Day Observances
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day speaker Bakari Sellers speaks to the Roanoke College community in 2018.
Bakari Sellers stands for a photo with (from left to right clockwise): Juliet Lowery, Olivia Kitt '20, President Maxey, and Ken Belton '81.
Dr. Brad Braxton speaks to a class as part of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations in 2019.
Dr. Brad Braxton speaks to a crowd of Roanoke College community members in 2019.
Dr. Richard Lischer speaks to Roanoke College community members as part of celebratory events for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2017.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day speaker Dr. T Leon Williams shakes hands with a student after his event in 2016.
A group of Roanoke College students, faculty and staff attend the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast at Hotel Roanoke, sponsored annually by the North Carolina A&T University Alumni Association Roanoke Chapter.
Dr. Fanchon Glover, chief diversity officer at the College of William & Mary, delivers the keynote address during Roanoke College's Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020.