As a tumultuous pandemic approaches its year anniversary and economic hardship and widespread civil unrest continues, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of hope and faith remains relevant—and inspirational—to a new generation of activists fighting ongoing, systemic racial bias.
USC Marshall’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has compiled a list of events, celebrations, and books celebrating the life of an iconic American.
“Dr. King’s ideas about non-violence and equal rights echo with renewed power in this moment of national reckoning with race and the economic inequality," said interim Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Professor of Management and Organization Violina Rindova. "These turbulent times are also times of opportunity for taking an active role in the change. Dr. King’s message remains a source of inspiration for the change agents of today.”
Monday, January 18, 2021
- USC President Carol Folt and the Trojan Family will host a virtual event celebrating the life of Dr. King Monday from Noon. Details and registration here.
- The California African American Museum (CAAM) will celebrate MLK Day with a virtual celebration Monday from 10 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. Details and registration here.
- LA Works, a group that offers a wealth of volunteer opportunities in a number of areas assisting the local community, is hosting a digital march on Washington via the game Minecraft on Monday. Click here for details and registration.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
- The Center of Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA) and the Black Staff & Faculty Caucus (BSFC) will host a virtual event celebrating the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Day from Noon-2 P.M. Details and registration here.
Additional Resources:
- Read more about MLK’s history and his visit to USC and Los Angeles here.
Recommended Books on MLK:
- “Parting the Waters: America in the King Years - 1954-63,” by Taylor Branch. Branch won a Pulitzer Prize for this 1988 book.
- “Martin Luther King, Jr. A life,” by Marshall Frady, 2002 (a good, basic biography)
- “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.” Edited by Clayborn Carson. (King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, chose Carson to edit and publish her late husband’s papers in 1985.)
Online Resources:
- Listen to Dr. King reading his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
- Visit the King Center.
Dr. King's lessons in non-violent protest and perseverance particularly resonate today. “In a sermon, King once said that ‘Now is the time to make the United States a better nation,’" said Associate Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Management and Operations Sarah Townsend. “It was true when he uttered those words in 1965 and it remains true today, in 2021.
“As we remember and celebrate his legacy, we also honor and amplify it. Now is the time to challenge injustice, now is the time to make all of our schools, workplaces, and communities better.”
