By: Fare Rajkumar & Megan Mortman
On Jan. 21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, NSU, in collaboration with the city of Miami, will coordinate the MLK Day of Service from 8 to 2 p.m. Transportation will be provided from the Shark Fountain to Madison Middle School for students and other volunteers to clean and beautify the school.
NSU has recognized King’s lifework through various events in past years, but 2013’s Day of Service is the first of its kind, due to the sheer volume of students involved.
“Over 12,000 volunteers are expected at the middle school restoration,” said Joshua Brown, Graduate Assistant for Civic Engagement in the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement Office. “And in my last meeting with the city of Miami, I was told that our event will be the largest in Florida on MLK Day,”
According to its organizers, the restoration project is unique in that it will help students in a tangible way.
Laurieann Robinson, sophomore business major, said, “MLK Day is important because it reminds of a man who fought to secure freedom for all men.”
Many other schools and businesses across America will acknowledge a man well known for his determined work in civil rights on the national holiday.
Other events in the community will include seminars at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Ft. Lauderdale, which will involve discussions on King’s life and his impact on civil rights. The lectures will take place on Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Multiple parades and marches will also be ongoing in King’s honor. The King Holiday Parade and Non-violence March will start at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale at 9:30 am.
In addition, Dillard High School, also in Fort Lauderdale, will have a non-violence rally at 11:30 a.m., followed by a marching band competition on their football field.
Students and other volunteers interested in participating in NSU’s MLK Day of Service can register online through orgsync, or contact Brown at jb2286@nova.edu or (954) 262-7253.
