AU’s Center for CommUNITY & Belonging planning a week-long commemoration of MLK
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a week full of events bringing students, faculty, staff and the Ashland community together for service, conversation, fellowship and engagement Jan. 15-19. Staff from AU’s newly-named Center for CommUNITY & Belonging are coordinating the celebration, and the events are open to the public.
On MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 15, AU students will be volunteering from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., for a number of community partners. The student-led organization AU GIVS (Ashland University Gets Involved with Volunteer Service) is coordinating the day’s service activities, and students can sign up to help here.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, The Well, an interdenominational campus ministry, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will screen the movie “Just Mercy,” starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, at 6:30 p.m. in Redwood Hall. The film tells the true story of Bryan Stevenson, a young civil rights defense attorney, and how he works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner in one of his first cases.
AU welcomes Chief Deputy Marvin Hall of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office who will deliver a presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., in the auditorium of the Hawkins-Conard Student Center. Hall has worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years, receiving a number of prestigious honors along the way headlined by the 1999 State Trooper of the Year award from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He was commissioned as a Franklin County Chief Deputy in Nov. 2022, as the Recruitment, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Commander. He also serves as an ordained deacon and the chaplain of the National Black State Trooper Coalition.
On Thursday, Jan. 18, The Well will host an evening of gospel music, featuring The Afrxnts, at Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. The event begins at 8 p.m.
The week of activities will conclude with the Center for CommUNITY & Belonging’s Culture Fest on Friday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. in Redwood Hall. It will be an open house style event with music, free food and an opportunity to learn about other cultures and diverse clubs on campus.
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.