'A day on:' MLK Jr. Day full of events

Classes will not meet Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but students still have the opportunity to learn through a week full of activities.\nMonday kicks off the weeklong celebration of the 20th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an official holiday. The 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Committee has organized events under the slogan "Power of One" to encourage positive change that will continue throughout the year.\nMonday begins with two breakfast events. The committee is sponsoring the invite-only student leadership breakfast. The CommUNITY Education Program is sponsoring an open breakfast outside the McNutt center building.\nProfessor Audrey T. McCluskey, the committee's chair, said this year the committee wanted to focus on "those who have made a difference in the (Bloomington) community," rather than an outside speaker.\nMcCluskey said this year's theme represents the movements influenced by one individual, such as Rosa Parks, that sparks positive change in society. The celebration events focus on "selfless service to the community," a theme King and Parks were devoted to, McCluskey said.\nMcCluskey also said there is no set desired outcome for the day's events, and the celebration is a time for the community to evaluate and question their commitment to positive change for peace and equality.\nPeople should concentrate on helping the community in small ways, like tutoring a child, rather than focusing on the constraints of making a difference, he said.\nTahirah Akbar-Williams, diversity education specialist for CommUNITY Education Programs, said the "Power of One" theme helps students realize that change can be made on a small scale and doesn't require mass numbers.\nThe CommUNITY Education Programs are co-sponsoring several of Monday's events, including the open breakfast and a volunteer opportunity at local shelters.\n"I hope students will be galvanized to change things in their lives and in others' lives," Akbar-Williams said. \nAkbar-Williams said giving back to the community, and "building positive and healthy relationships," are also themes included in the week's activities.\nEric Love, director of diversity education at IU and a member of the MLK Jr. Day Celebration committee, has focused on planning the Unity Summit and a public forum called "What Would Martin Do?" Love said the summit has been held annually for almost seven years, and is designed to further positive change beyond next week's festivities.\n"Part of the Unity Summit will be planning for the rest of the year by developing action plans to improve race relations and campus climate," Love said.\nHe said although IU is committed to being a diverse campus, IU is "largely still segregated," with "blacks joining black groups, Latinos with Latino groups, whites with white groups, etc."\nThe "What Would Martin Do?" Part One public forum will focus on how Martin Luther King Jr. would react to the problems in today's society, like the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the "religious and political climates," Love said.\nPart Two of "What Would Martin Do?" is a march for "peace and justice", Love said, that will imitate the tradition of the civil rights movement. Pre-made signs and materials for marchers to make their own signs will be made available.\nJeremy Strife of the Council for Advancing Student Leadership, who is co-sponsoring the Unity Summit, said he hopes by the end of the summit students will "walk away with a diversity program or event" created by a diverse group of student leaders to improve diversity relations on campus.\nOther events held Monday include an interfaith prayer service, MLK Jr. Film Festival, City of Bloomington King Commission reception and the City of Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Commission Community Celebration.\nFor a full schedule of the week's events visit www.indiana.edu/~libugls/mlk/mlk_2006.html.