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Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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MLK 2021 Calendar of Events

Reverand Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, January 2021

Rising Together: Facing the Challenges of Tomorrow Today 

A Celebration of the Community’s Commitment to the Dream of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Keynote Speaker
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
President and Senior Lecturer at Repairers of the Breach
and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign

Sunday, January 17, 2021
3:00 to 4:00 pm
Watch the recording at go.illinois.edu/MLKDayStream.

The Annual County-wide Celebration commemorates Dr. King’s legacy by bringing together community members from Champaign County to celebrate the mission, teachings, and legacy of Dr. King.

This year’s keynote speaker, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, is the President & Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival; Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries; Visiting Professor at Union Theological Seminary; Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and the author of four books: We Are Called To Be A Movement; Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing; The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and The Rise of a New Justice Movement; and Forward Together: A Moral Message For The Nation.

The program will also include the presentation of awards for the James R. Burgess, Jr. Award, Susan Freiburg Humanitarian Award, the Doris Hoskins Prestigious Community Service Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award and recognition of the Advocacy for Social Justice MLK Jr. Scholarship recipients from Champaign and Urbana school districts. This year’s celebration is a joint collaboration with the MLK Countywide Committee.

Sponsored by the MLK Advocacy for Justice Committee, Inc. in partnership with the MLK Countywide committee.

For questions or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at diversity@illinois.edu.

Black Student Activism: What We Can Learn from Earlier Activism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

with Dean Joy Ann Williamson-Lott, author of Black Power on Campus, The University of Illinois, 1965–1975.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 
1 to 2 pm

Black Power on Campus is an informative piece that captures the intentional activism of Black students at the University of Illinois following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Attendees will relive those students’ hopes and dreams for a university that honors the Black student experience, diversity in education, and equal opportunities for all students. Dr. Williamson-Lott presents her text from the standpoint of a historian and author who explores social movements in higher education, but engages in Q&A as a proud alumna who greatly benefited from student activism of yesteryear. This event is open to university students, faculty, and staff who share a passion for supporting young activists. 

Sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact ovp@illinois.edu.

Digital Equity in Champaign County

Presenter: David Northern, CEO, Champaign County, Housing Authority of Champaign County

Wednesday, January 20, 2021
10 to 11:30 am

Join David Northern, Sr., MPA, CEO of the Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC), to discuss his organizing efforts towards HACC technology goals and measure current levels of broadband access, adoption, and use. This session will include a discussion of equity, individual and community strategies for success, and showcase his community’s broadband vision and plan for progress toward improved broadband access for underserved residents within his jurisdiction of Champaign County. The session will conclude with a Q and A, as participants are encouraged to come with questions on equity work, digital inclusion, community broadband development, public service, career success, community organizing, and much more. 

Sponsors: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the School of Social Work, University Extension, and the College of Agricultural & Consumer Sciences. 

For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact esarey@illinois.edu.

Meet Us at the Crossroads: Conversations about Healing and Civic Engagement

Facilitated by The Counseling Center’s Latinx Outreach Team and Sankofa Teams

Tuesday, January 26, 2021 
7 to 8:30 pm

This workshop will focus on healing from racialized trauma by introducing the concept of and actualizing a racial healing circle.  Participants will develop a shared definition of healing through an inclusive lens and will learn about various avenues to healing, both collectively and individually. 

Sponsors: University Housing and the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, African American Studies, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and The Counseling Center.

For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact Jazmyne N. Kellogg, Interim Director, Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, jkello3@illinois.edu

Leading with Empathy

Presenter: Lloyd Graham, MS, Assistant Director, Diversity Initiatives, Community Education Program Director, Indiana University

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 
7 to 8:30 pm 

This Inclusion workshop will focus on concepts such as diversity, inclusion, and privilege. Students who participate will recognize the values of others, and identify differing social identities in relation to leadership. Students will also understand the importance of inter/intragroup community through a diversity of identities. Download the flyer.

Sponsors: University Housing and the Office of Inclusion & Intercultural Relations, African American Studies, and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact Cristian Biviano, cbivia3@illinois.edu.

Virtual Poverty Simulation

Friday, January 29, 2021 
1 to 3 pm

Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families; unless you have experienced poverty, it’s difficult to truly understand. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s advocacy work around poverty issues, the School of Social Work, in partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, invites students, faculty, staff and community members to engage in a poverty simulation that bridges the gap from misconception to understanding in an interactive immersion experience. The goal of the simulation is to promote poverty awareness, increase understanding, and inspire local change by sensitizing participants to the realities of poverty. 

Sponsors: School of Social Work and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact Sharva Campbell-Hampton, shamcamp@illinois.edu.

MLK Creative Writing Contest

Friday, February 5, 2021 
No registration required.

The College of Education will award the winners and honorable mention recipients of the K-12 MLK Creative Expressions Contest. This virtual event will highlight the talents of our local students through essay, poems, and art. 

Sponsored by the College of Education in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Staff Human Resource and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

For additional information, please contact: Victor H. Perez, vhperez@illinois.edu