The University of Northern Colorado’s Marcus Garvey Cultural Center (MGCC) invites the community to their annual 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The event is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Gunter Hall Gymnasium. 

In commemoration of King's legacy and his dedication to education as a vehicle for justice and societal progress, this year’s celebration will focus on community service and helping to ensure that people in the community have free access to essential resources. The day’s program will provide participants with the opportunity to construct, decorate and stock Little Free Libraries across the UNC campus that will provide access to resources on identity, culture, history and social justice, including materials traditionally suppressed in libraries.

According to janine weaver-douglas, Ed.D.*, director of the MGCC, nationwide concerns about restricted access to educational materials prompted the idea for this year’s theme.

janine says the focus on libraries and specifically banned books for this event is twofold- first, to highlight the necessity of creating open access to educational materials for all community members to better learn about the world around them, and through that, more about themselves. Second, she wanted to create a physical space to bring those voices and stories that continue to be marginalized and silenced, back into our communities and back into our shared knowledge. This reinforces the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center’s theme for the 23-24 academic year: without community, there is no liberation (Audre Lorde, 1984). 

“The ultimate goal of education is intelligence plus character, as Dr. King argued in his 1947 article, ‘The Purpose of Education,’ where he emphasized the fusion of intellect and moral fortitude,” said weaver-douglas. “We hope that our event this year will encourage participants to contribute to community improvement, echoing King’s commitment to societal equity through education.”

Anyone interested in joining the annual celebration can sign up as individuals or teams. Sign-ups are limited and will remain open until Jan. 11. For more information, FAQs, or to register for participation, visit the MLK Day of Service website.

*janine weaver-douglas has requested that her name be recognized through the use of lowercase letters.