Virginia Tech offers events for 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
The week of Jan. 16 Virginia Tech is hosting a series of events honoring the life, legacy, and work of civil rights icon and activist, Martin Luther King, Jr.
The week will feature "A Conversation with Ruth E. Carter". Carter is preeminent visual storyteller and costume designer. Her work has spanned more than 60 television and film projects including Do the Right Thing, Malcom X, Crooklyn, Amistad, Selma, Coming to America 2, and Marvel's Black Panther for which she was recognized with an Academy Award for Costume Design in 2019. Carter's design aesthetic centers Afrofuturism, which she defines as “using technology and intertwining it with imagination, self-expression, and an entrepreneurial spirit, promoting a philosophy for Black Americans, Africans, and Indigenous people to believe and create without the limiting construct of slavery and colonialism.” The impact of her vision and artistry reverberates well beyond film to the global cultural landscape.
Please join us for this conversation the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre in the Street and Davis Performance Hall at the Moss Arts Center on Thursday, January 19th from 6:00-7:30pm.
The event is free and open to the public! Get your tickets here.
All MLK Week Events:
Monday, Jan. 16 - Annual MLK Jazz Brunch
On Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 from 12:00pm - 2:30pm at the Moss Arts Center (190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg, VA 24061), join diverse professionals from all across the Roanoke and New River Valleys to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through community building, culture, and great cuisine. Get ready to dance to the jazzy-R&B stylings of the local band, Groove Kontrol. This FREE event is open to the diverse professionals who work, live, or serve in the New River and Roanoke Valleys. Your ticket includes a brunch buffet. Please register to attend.
Monday, Jan. 16 - Theta Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. campus march & reception
The Theta Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. is hosting the Martin Luther King Day March on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. The starting location for the event will be at Peddrew-Yates Hall at 1 p.m. There will be a post-march reception immediately following in the Black Cultural Center (Squires Student Center, room 126). Light refreshments will be served.
Tuesday, Jan. 17 through Sunday, Jan. 22 – MLK Service Project; Food Drive for The Market at Virginia Tech
This year's service project is a food drive for The Market of VT, a free grocery store created to help Hokies access healthy food. The food drive will run from Tuesday, Jan. 17 through Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. There are a number of drop-off locations in Blacksburg and Northern Virginia. Those attending Ruth E. Carter's talk at Moss Arts Center are encouraged to bring a contribution to the event.
We are currently most in need of the following items, though all items are appreciated:
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Cans of Beans
- Pasta Sauce
- Canned/pouched chicken
- Soups
- Cooking oil
- Rice
- Granola bars
- Canned/pouched tuna
Drop-off locations in Blacksburg and Northern Virginia:
- North End Center, Suite 4300
- Cassell Coliseum
- Black Cultural Center, Squires Student Center Room 126
- VT Engage: 417 Clay St. SW (0168), Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Moss Arts Center
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Café: 2 Riverside Circle (directly adjacent to the atrium)
Roanoke, VA 24016 - The Inclusion Center: 1 Riverside Circle Room 205B Roanoke, VA 24016
- VTRC – Arlington: 900 N. Glebe Road, Arlington
Wednesday, Jan. 18 – Antisemitism in the Age of Kanye
Why is antisemitic hate speech on the rise? What is the relationship between antisemitism and racism? And why does the media sensationalize rhetoric from some public figures, but not others? Join our panelists (see below) as they explore these questions and more. RSVP encouraged on Gobbler Connect. The event will take place from 6:30-7:30pm on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023 in the Black Cultural Center (Squires Student Center, room 126).
Panelists include:
- Dr. Ellington Graves, assistant provost for Diversity and Inclusion
- Dr. Anthony Kwame Harrison, Edward S. Diggs Professor of Humanities
- Dr. Brian Britt, professor of Religion and Culture
Thursday, Jan. 19 – A Conversation with Ruth E. Carter
Join is for a conversation with Academy Award winning costume designer and artist, Ruth E. Carter moderated by Tyechia Thompson, assistant professor in the English department at Virginia Tech. This conversation will take place in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre in the Street and Davis Performance Hall at the Moss Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 19 from 6:00-7:30pm. The event is free and open to the public. The MLK service project committee has requested event participants to bring an item for donation to the Food Pantry. Get your tickets here.
Friday, Jan. 20 - Living, Learning, & Adaptive Landscapes: How Evolutionary Biology Can Help us Navigate it All
The 12th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. seminar features C. Brandon Ogbunu speaking on "Living, learning, and adaptive landscapes: How evolutionary biology can help us navigate it all". Ogbunu is a computational biologist whose research investigates complex problems in epidemiology, evolutionary & population genetics, and evolution. His work utilizes a range of methods, from experimental evolution, to biochemistry, applied mathematics, and evolutionary computation. In addition to his faculty appointments, Ogbunu is a Contributing Editor to WNYC’s Radiolab, and he has written several popular essays for Wired (where he is a regular contributor).
This event will be held on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 at 12:00pm in Steger Hall Auditorium (1015 Life Science Cir, Blacksburg, VA 24061).
Thank you to all event sponsors!
Office for Inclusion and Diversity; Division of Student Affairs; Moss Arts Center; Virginia Tech Athletics; College of Architecture, Arts, and Design; Center for Humanities; Fashion Merchandising and Design Program; College of Science; VT Engage; College of Natural Resources and Environment; Division of Information Technology; Cultural and Community Centers; University Libraries; Women’s Center; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; Carilion Clinic; Theta Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Black Organizations Council (BOC); Black Student Alliance (BSA)