Calendar of Events
2024 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
January 14 – 28, 2024
The 2024 celebration theme is “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.”
The information included in this calendar has been provided by each event sponsor. For questions, please email the event contact listed. Comments, opinions, and recommendations expressed are those of the speakers and presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of the 2024 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email the contact for the event listed below. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
Advocacy for Social Justice and MLK Countywide Committees 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service of Celebration
January 14, 2024, 5 – 7 p.m.
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Foellinger Great Hall
500 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Ill.
Featured Keynote Speaker: Rev Dr. William Foster, Jr., Sr. Pastor of Providence Baptist Church, Chicago.
The partnership of the Advocacy for Justice and the Countywide MLK Committee will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event will highlight the academic achievement of local area high school students in announcing this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship recipients and include the presentation of the James R. Burgess, Jr. Award, Susan Freiburg Humanitarian Award, the Doris Hoskins Prestigious Community Service Award, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award.
For additional questions or to request disability-related accommodation for this event, please contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at diversity@illinois.edu.
Sponsors: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee, MLK County-wide Committee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
39th Annual Unity Breakfast
January 15, 2024, 8:30 – 11 a.m.
Vineyard Church
1500 N. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Ill.
Community members are invited to attend the 39th Annual Unity Breakfast sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and hosted by the Vineyard Church. Please join us as we honor Dr. King, the most important voice of the civil rights movement and recognize the 2023 Dr. King Scholarship recipients.
For more information, contact Domonic Cobb at dcobb@illinois.edu.
Sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee.
MLK Champions
January 15, 2024, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Multi-Purpose Room 2025, Student Dining and Residential Programs Building, SDRP
301 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, Ill.
The MLK Champions recognition program will celebrate the MLK legacy by recognizing the power of community action to honor local partners, students, faculty, and staff who have dedicated their talents to enhancing a movement of justice, equity, and dignity. The evening will provide inspiration and feature local community performers.
For more information, please email Kellye Smith at kesmith4@illinois.edu.
Sponsored by the MLK 2024 Commemorative Planning Committee.
MLK Celebration 2024 Lecture: “Revolt: Rebel Religion in the thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.”
January 16, 2024, 4 – 5 p.m.
Levis Faculty Center Room 300
919 W. Illinois St., Urbana, Ill.
Join Leonard C. McKinnis II, Assistant Professor of African American Religious and Black Studies for this year’s lecture. This talk considers the concept of “the rebel” as a constitutive idea in the religious thought and practice of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. It explores the religious roots that frames King’s philosophy and the way that such framing compels King to live a life grounded in revolt.
Dr. Leonard C. McKinnis, II is an Assistant Professor of Religion and Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was recently named the prestigious 2023 Sankofa Scholar at Emory University in the Candler School of Theology.
Dr. McKinnis’ book, The Black Coptic Church: Race, Religion, and Imagination in a New Religion, is published with New York University (NYU) Press in their Race, Religion, and Ethnicity Series. Dr. McKinnis is currently working on a book tentatively titled, Everyday Muslim: Religion and the Construction of Black Identity in the Nation of Islam. This work explores the relationship between religious performance, identity, and world making in the Nation of Islam.
Aside from his academic work, Dr. McKinnis has extensive experience in public service. He was a White House Intern under President George W. Bush where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Condoleeza Rice, a Chicago Mayoral Policy Fellow under Mayor Richard M. Daley, a Department of Labor Fellow under Secretary Elaine Chao, and a Director of National Policy for a think tank and non-profit in Chicago.
Dr. McKinnis is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., of which he presently serves as the Illinois State Director.
Please email Desireé McMillion with questions or accommodation needs at dymc@illinois.edu.
Sponsors: African American Studies Department and the 2024 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee
School of Social Work Immersive Simulated Experience: Poverty Is Not An Accident
January 26, 2024, 1 – 3:30 p.m.
School of Social Work
Room 2015
1010 W. Nevada St., Urbana, Ill.
Step into the shoes of those facing financial hardships in our community with an immersive simulated experience. Acknowledging the profound impact of poverty, the School of Social Work, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Champaign Urbana Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to participate in a unique event designed to provide a firsthand understanding of life under financial constraints. During this “Immersive Simulated Experience,” participants will navigate the challenges of limited resources and heightened stress. The simulation encourages individuals to perceive poverty from various perspectives and fosters discussions on the potential for personal and community-driven change. These thought-provoking experiences are crafted to sensitize participants to the harsh realities of poverty, sparking a dialogue on the path toward positive transformation.
For more information, please contact Sharva Hampton-Campbell at shamcamp@illinois.edu.
Sponsors: School of Social Work, 2024 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee, and the Urbana Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Virtual Immersive Simulated Experience and Conversation with Jenny Nicholson, the creator of SPENT (a virtual simulation)
February 2, 2024, 1 – 3 p.m.
Jenny Nicholson, Founder and Creative Director, Queen of Swords, Durham, North Carolina, combined her master’s in social work degree with her job as an advertising creative director to create SPENT, a game that challenges players to survive 30 days on the edge of homelessness. Jenny spent her childhood in the woods of Tennessee with no running water and no electricity. What her upbringing lacked in television or convenient showers; it made up in opportunities to develop her creativity. She combined her master’s in social work degree with her job as an advertising creative director to create SPENT, a game that challenges players to survive 30 days on the edge of homelessness. SPENT has been played more than 18 million times, in over 100 countries. The game has been used in schools of social work across the country, as an empathy-building tool for Fortune 500 companies and has been the subject of several academic publications. Jenny spends her days developing innovative advertising for national brands and is constantly looking for new ways to use her creative powers for good.
For more information, please contact Sharva Hampton-Campbell at shamcamp@illinois.edu.
Sponsors: School of Social Work and the 2024 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.
Conversation & Coffee/Tea: Immersive Simulated Experience Dialogue Sessions
February 1, 2024, and February 8, 2024, 6 – 7 p.m.
Champaign Public Library
Pavilion Conference Rooms
200 W Green St. Champaign, Ill.
February 1, Session 1: Perspectives Unveiled: Participants will engage in a reflective dialogue following the Immersive Simulated Experience, providing a space to share their thoughts and feelings.
February 8, Session 2: Building Bridges for Change: In this forward-looking dialogue, participants will collaboratively explore potential avenues for change within themselves and their local communities.
For more information, please contact Sharva Hampton-Campbell at shamcamp@illinois.edu.
Sponsors: School of Social Work, the MLK Commemorative Planning Committee, and the Champaign Urbana Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.