MLK Week
Lewis & Clark College dedicates a week of service, learning, and action to commemorate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights activists.
Our annual MLK Week events will take place from January 20th to January 31st, 2025. To learn more , please see below events:
Monday, January 20th from 10:30am-2pm., STAMM | Labor of Love: Volunteer Project: Join the Center for Social Change and Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers as we organize donations for those in need. We will learn about the history of labor rights in Oregon and how to get involved in labor organizing/supporting power and mobilization for low income people in our community. RSVP Required.
Tuesday, January 21st from 12pm-1:20pm., Law Campus | “How to Sue the Klan” Documentary: “How to Sue the Klan” Documentary: As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, Lewis & Clark Law School is pleased to announce the screening of “How to Sue the Klan” documentary. Working with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, the film retells a forgotten story of five black women from Chattanooga, Tennessee who took on the Ku Klux Klan in a pivotal civil trial in 1982. Ben Crump speaks to the legacy of this trial and the similarities to modern cases. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Professor Robert Klonoff on how the civil legal system can be used when the criminal legal system fails. Space is limited. Please RSVP by Wednesday, January 15th. Lunch will be provided. Please contact Alexandra Cook Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Academic Resources with any questions. RSVP Here.
POSTPONED: Wednesday, January 29th from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Flanagan Chapel |Carol Anderson, Author of “White Rage”, Presents Martin Luther King Jr Lecture | Join us at Lewis & Clark on Wednesday, January 29, in the Flanagan Chapel for an incredible opportunity to hear bestselling author and African American Studies professor Carol Anderson, presented as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Endowed Lecture Series. This event has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances and will be rescheduled. More details to follow.
Thursday, January 30th from 4:30 - 6p.m., IME | Paint & Sip Night | Come celebration MLK week with a Paint and Sip night in the IME Suite. We will be bringing an amazing guest speaker to talk about their experiences while sipping on drinks and making some beautiful art. RSVP Here.
Jan.30th, Feb.26th, March 19th from 12:10pm-1:10pm., Law Campus| Antiracist Book Club | Antiracist Book Club: Please join Ananya Raghavan, the SBA VP of DEIB, and Alexandra Cook, the Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Academic Resources for an Antiracist student book club this spring semester. The goal of this book club is to continue building on the discussions regarding race in the legal field students have had during law school through the DEI and anti-bias sessions, classes, and more. The book club will be reading Open Season by Ben Crump, and the first 15 people to sign up will receive a free copy of the book. Any number of students can join. The book club will meet in January, February, and March to discuss the book. The first meeting will feature a guest speaker to provide context for the subject matter, intention set for the book club, and more. RSVP required (Law Students Only).
February | MLK/Black History Month Art Show | Watzek Library Atrium
The 2024 MLK Planning Committee is led by Joann Zhang (Director of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement) and Andrea Salyer (Director of Social Change and Community Involvement) and in partnership with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Office of Communications, Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, the Law School and Watzek Library.
10 Ways to Celebrate Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
from the Office of Equity and Inclusion:
- Watch movies: Blood Diamond, The Ernest Green Story, Selma, When They See Us (show), The Hate You Give.
- Listen to podcasts: Seeing White and Code Switch.
- Have a conversation about race at school or work.
- Check out art by Kehinde Wiley, Kara Walker, and other Black artists.
- Research and donate to a racial justice organization.
- Listen to powerful music: Tupac Shakur, Nipsey Hussle, Billie Holiday
- Read books: Begin Again, How to be an Antiracist, etc.
- Go volunteering.
- Reflect on your own experiences and think about what you would like to change.
- Visit a museum about Black American History.