2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Events Timeline

Week of January 13, 2024

Martin Luther King Jr. with hands folded

Embracing Liberation: Radical Love for a United Community

The University of Evansville invites everyone to take part in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Activities and events throughout the week will commemorate King’s passionate pursuit of social justice through community-wide advocacy and call for a truly integrated society.

“There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”Excerpt from the Nobel Peace Prize Lecture by Martin Luther King, Jr. (December 11, 1964) Watch the full speech

UE’s annual MLK Celebration will be held during the week of January 13, 2024. In-person events will be held throughout the week, and the complete schedule is listed below. To register for the luncheon or conference, click the respective button below.

*Due to expected weather on Monday, January 15 in-person events will either be moved to a virtual format or cancelled. Please see the information below for updates.

Order of Events

  • Saturday, January 13
    • 9:00 a.m. - UE MLK Day of Service for UE students, faculty and staff as part of the community-wide day of service. Register by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, January 11.
  • Monday, January 15
    • 8:30 a.m. – MOVED TO VIRTUAL: Faith-based service in Neu Chapel
    • 9:45 a.m. – CANCELLED: Rally at Meeks Family Fieldhouse
    • 10:00 a.m. – CANCELLED: Symbolic March
  • Wednesday, January 17
    • 11:30 a.m. –Luncheon in Eykamp Hall featuring the William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship, 2024 Mays Legacy Award, and Rising Star Service Award presentations. Doors will open at 10:45 a.m. Luncheon is free and open to the public. A donation of non-perishable items to benefit the UE food pantry, Aces Haven, are encouraged. Register by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 12.
  • Saturday, January 20
    • 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. –CANCELLED: The Inaugural Conference on Community Solidarity open to all Evansville community members

Saturday, January 13

UE MLK Day of Service – 9:00 a.m.

UE students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in the UE MLK Day of Service as part of the MLK Community-Wide Commemoration. Community service projects will take place across the Evansville community.

UE community members, please sign-up for a service location using the link below. Registration will close on Thursday, January 11. Transportation will be available.

UE Community Members Register Online

Monday, January 15

VIRTUAL Faith-Based Service – 8:30 a.m.

The MLK Day of Service will begin with a faith-based service held virtually via Zoom.
Join via Zoom.

CANCELLED Rally

CANCELLED Symbolic March

Wednesday, January 17

William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship and Luncheon – 11:30 a.m.

Held in Eykamp Hall on the second floor of Ridgway University Center, the William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship and Luncheon will be an opportunity for community members to join in fellowship. The time will be filled with performances, student speakers, award presentations, and our featured keynote speaker.

Each year, the Martin Luther King Lectureship is made possible by the generous support of William G. and Rose M. Mays. The 2024 lectureship will feature keynote speaker Nyle Fort.

Nyle Fort headshotNyle Fort is a minister, activist, and scholar. His work addresses issues of social justice through cutting-edge scholarship, community-based organizing, and large-scale social movements. Nyle’s commitment to liberation has led him from local communities to college campuses to countries across the world.

He has spoken at numerous institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, New York University, Swarthmore College, the University of Amsterdam, the British Library, and the historic Riverside Church.

His writing and commentary is featured in the New York Magazine, the Guardian, the Nation, Boston Globe, PBS, MSNBC, and Black Agenda Report.

Nyle earned his B.A. in English from Morehouse College and his Ph.D. in Religion and Interdisciplinary Humanities, with a concentration in African American Studies, from Princeton University. He is an incoming professor of African American Studies at Columbia University.

During the luncheon, the 2024 Mays Legacy Award and the 2024 Rising Star Service Award will also be presented.

Tickets for the 2024 William G. and Rose M. Mays Lectureship and Luncheon are free and can be secured below until Friday, January 12, 2024. Doors will open at 10:45 a.m. A donation of non-perishable items to benefit the UE food pantry, Aces Haven, are encouraged. Any donations will be taken at the time of the event.

Register for the Mays Lectureship and Luncheon

Saturday, January 20

CANCELLED: The Inaugural Conference on Community Solidarity