Miami Courant

FIU will kick off its 32nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration with a breakfast on Jan. 13, 2023, featuring Ilyasah Shabazz – professor, author, and daughter of Malcolm X – as this year’s Dotson Family MLK Keynote Speaker.

Shabazz has authored five books and served as project advisor for the PBS award-winning documentary, “Prince Among Slaves.” She is also co-chairperson of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. In her work to preserve the legacy of her parents, she has dedicated herself to institution building and intergenerational leadership development with the tenants of diversity, equity and inclusion.

FIU’s signature event honoring the life and legacy of King, the breakfast is organized by the Office of Social Justice and Inclusion (OSJI) and benefits the university’s Martin Luther King MPAS Endowment to support scholarships and operating costs of the program. 

With events throughout January, the MLK Commemorative Celebration is a world-class community celebration. Over the past three decades, it has evolved from a single event to a series of festivities. Highlights include:

MLK Day of Service
Jan. 14, 2023
Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community are invited to participate in service projects on- and off-campus benefiting The McKenzie Project, Lotus House and the Green Haven Project. For more information, contact the FIU Center for Leadership and Service. Register online to participate.

FIU Contingent - Liberty City MLK Parade
Jan. 16, 2023
8 a.m. | MMC, Parking Lot 5
FIU has been a longtime participant in the parade down 54th Street, and its contingent has grown to be one of the largest in the parade, with participation from students, athletes, faculty, staff and administration. Register online.

MLK-Robert M. Coatie Youth Forum and MLK Peace Walk
Jan. 18, 2023
10 a.m. | BBC, WUC Ballrooms
Each year, FIU brings renowned speakers to inspire local middle and high school students to not only achieve their best but to follow the ideals of King in their everyday lives. This year's MLK-Robert M. Coatie Youth Forum keynote speaker is Starex Smith, Chief Eating Officer at The Hungry Black Man Media. Smith is an FIU alumnus and past president of FIU's Black Student Union, and he will speak about his experience as a public administrator, fundraiser, restaurateur and culinary business developer. The forum is followed by a reflective walk around BBC promoting the idea of world peace.

MLK @ The Frost – “An Elegy to Rosewood”
Jan. 25-April 16, 2023
The exhibition “An Elegy to Rosewood” commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the Rosewood, Florida, massacre. The exhibition is comprised of historic photographs and preserved heirlooms from Lizzie Jenkins’s family, exploring the Jenkins family story, and their commitment to acknowledging this history. Jenkins is founder and president of The Real Rosewood Foundation. Join FIU for an opening reception and panel discussion on Jan. 25, 2023, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum.

View the full schedule of the 32nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration events online. 

Original source can be found here.