With the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this week and the holiday celebrating his life on Jan. 21, Loyola is teaming up with three other New Orleans universities to give back to their shared community.
The 22nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week for Peace begins Jan. 19 with a day of service to New Orleans through four different projects: Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Bienville Micro-Farm and Community, Hands on New Orleans, Kaboom Partnership, and a neighborhood clean-up.
Jennifer Rudolph, political science junior and Loyola University Community Action Program spokeswoman, said many people know the standard version of King’s legacy. “But part of that legacy is action. Having a day of community service makes his commitment to the community and progress a concrete experience in our lives,” Rudolph said.
At Loyola, Rudolph said, students have a commitment to social justice within and around the community.
“Many of the problems that Dr. King saw still exist in some form today, and New Orleans is certainly no exception. Instead of perpetuating those problems, Loyola students have the amazing opportunity to act,” Rudolph said.
Loyola volunteers will have the opportunity to work alongside students from Tulane, Xavier and Dillard universities Saturday and throughout the week, according to Rick Yelton, associate chaplain and director of LUCAP.
“It’s great that the four universities work together to make MLK week as inclusive as possible,” Yelton said. “After all, it would be silly to celebrate King’s vision of solidarity and human connectedness on four isolated campuses. This is an opportunity for the four universities to demonstrate the unity he preached.”
Registration for the “A Day On, Not A Day Off” MLK Day of Community Service is ongoing at Tulane’s Web site, http://www.tulane.edu. Loyola will provide transportation from the statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the Peace Quad in front of the Danna Center at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and the day will end around 3 p.m.
Other events next week include: The MLK Interfaith Service on Monday at Holy Name of Jesus Church at 10 a.m.; MLK Convocation with keynote address by Jeffery Johnson at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Lawless Memorial Chapel at Dillard University; MLK Candle Light March at 4:45 p.m. Friday at the Lavin Bernick Center on Tulane’s campus; and MLK Expressions of Unity at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Xavier’s gymnasium.
Whether students participate in one or all of the week’s events, Yelton said it’s an opportunity to take time to honor King’s legacy and vision. He said celebrating the week should remind everyone of the sacrifices he and many other people made in their pursuit of equality and justice.
“Many strides have been taken since Dr. King’s life was cut short, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be in terms of ending racism and promoting peace and understanding,” Yelton said. “This week will be an opportunity for Loyola students to pray for, learn about and physically work to make Dr. King’s vision a reality.”
Jordan Hultine can be reached at [email protected].
