Penn State and local advocacy groups will celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. throughout January with a series of community events.
While a day of service is in store for the federal holiday marking King’s life on Monday, Jan. 16, plenty of local events and workshops will help the community get in the spirit all month long. Central PA United and the 3/20 Coalition will join Penn State in hosting events throughout the State College area.
Here’s what you can expect as Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches:
3/20 Coalition, Central PA United Events
Together, the 3/20 Coalition and Central PA United will host events in State College to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 16.
From 2 to 3 p.m. in the Schlow Centre Region Library’s community room, community members are invited to take part in “MLK, 3/20 and State College,” an interactive display that will highlight the 3/20 Coalition’s work and its relation to King, whose legacy and left a “profound impact” on the coalition’s leaders. Guests are then invited to a “Memorial for Black Lives” at Fraser Street’s Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza to reflect, sing and chant, the organization said.
Community members are also invited to the Schlow Centre Region Library for various family activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., an event flyer says.
The 3/20 Coalition takes its name from the date of the police killing of State College resident Osaze Osagie, who was fatally shot by a State College police officer completing a mental health check in March 2019. Since then, the group has pressed for justice on Osagie’s part while organizing events and advocacy efforts to support a more equitable State College.
Central PA United, meanwhile, works to build “independent, progressive political power in central Pennsylvania.” While the organization’s work is widespread, it recently advocated for a tenants’ bill of rights in the State College area and supported the successful election of Divine Lipscomb, Richard Biever and Gopal Balachandran to the State College Borough Council. Biever resigned last June as his family prepared to move out of state.
Visit the 3/20 Coalition and Central PA United Facebook pages for updates on their upcoming events.
Penn State Events
For the first time in its history, Penn State will observe MLK Day as an official university holiday this year. Last May, outgoing President Eric Barron announced Penn State would recognize both MLK Day and Juneteenth as official university holidays moving forward.
Penn State’s offerings kick off on Sunday, Jan. 15 with a memorial banquet in King’s honor. The 48th annual event, hosted by Penn State’s Forum on Black Affairs, will bring guests to the Bryce Jordan Center for a buffet dinner complete with dancing, performances, a cash bar and ceremonies to recognize the winners of the Forum on Black Affairs’ humanitarian award and student scholarships. Tickets for this year’s banquet are available online on a first-come, first-served basis.
Following tradition, Penn State will host a day of community service on Monday, Jan. 16. Students and community members are encouraged to sign up and stop by the HUB-Robeson Center to pitch in and put their day off to good use. Full descriptions of this year’s service projects, as well as sign-up sheets, are available online.
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, Penn State’s Paul Robeson Cultural Center and State College’s Dr. Martin Luther King Plaza Committee will host a “March for PEACE” to honor King’s legacy. Students and community members will depart from the center, located inside the HUB-Robeson Center, at noon before marching to Old Main, where senior leaders will speak and reflect on the civil rights leader’s legacy. The march will end in downtown State College at Fraser Street’s Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.
Mwenso & The Shakes will host two events at Penn State in January. Musical artist Michael Mwenso and the Shakes, his collective of Black roots artists, will host a concert at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Heritage Hall. The event, dubbed “Night Time is the Right Time,” will feature the signature jazz, blues, African and Afro-American music the Harlem-based troupe is known for. The concert is free and open to the public.
Mwenso & The Shakes will also host a “community jam session” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, at 3 Dots Downtown in downtown State College. Community members are encouraged to bring their own instruments to the event, which is sponsored by Penn State’s Center for the Performing Arts and 3 Dots Downtown.
Finally, Penn State will host “A Choral Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King” at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 to wrap up the university’s big-ticket events. Hosted at Eisenhower Auditorium, the concert will feature African and African American choral music, as well as musical idioms that reflect and emphasize King’s influence and legacy. The program will feature several local ensembles, including Penn State’s Essence of Joy, the State College Area High School Master Singers, the Bellefonte Area High School Concert Choir and Mwenso & The Shakes. Tickets for the choral tribute are available online.
Throughout January and February, Penn State will also host a number of workshops and interactive art exhibits to celebrate King’s life. Offerings include:
- “An Evening of Prose, Poetry and Performance Tribute,” a writing and performance workshop that will honor King’s words and legacy. The event is slated for 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Room 008 of the HUB-Robeson Center.
- Let’s Chat about the Crown Act!: Cultural Control X Orlena Nwokah Blanchard,” a guest lecture that will examine the CROWN Act, the California legislation that prohibits discrimination based on hair style and texture. Guest speaker Orlena Nwokah Blanchard will lead the lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium.
- “‘Say His Name: Five Days for George Floyd’ and other short films on racial violence,” a virtual exhibition of three short films that explore issues facing people of color in the United States. Penn State’s Sustainability Institute will also host a post-film online discussion panel featuring university faculty and students. The event, free and open to all, asks participants to register online in advance.
- Robert Samuels, ‘His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,’” a presentation from author and award-winning Washington Post reporter Robert Samuels. At the free event, Samuels will discuss his book and offer a Q&A session with the audience. Samuels’ guest lecture is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium. Seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Samuels’ lecture will also be streamed online.
- Penn State’s MLK Commemorative Posters display, which features more than 20 award-winning, student-designed posters that span more than two decades of previous Martin Luther King Jr. commemorations at Penn State’s University Park campus. Posters will be available for viewing during the Engineering Library’s operating hours at 325 Hammond Building. In accordance with the national holiday, all university libraries will close on Jan. 16.
While the University Park campus is the focus of many Martin Luther King Jr.-themed events this winter, Penn State will host celebrations and workshops at its other campuses, too. Visit the university’s website to find more information on upcoming events at Penn State’s Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Dickinson Law, Fayette, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Mont Alto, Scranton, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, York and Pennsylvania College of Technology campuses.
Transportation Changes
Now with Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed as a university holiday, Penn State will adjust its transportation services on Monday, Jan. 16.
Notably, the university’s Transportation Services Office will be closed, as will its Fleet Operations services. Penn State’s Campus Shuttle and Hershey Shuttle services will close, too.
The Centre Area Transportation Authority will operate under its “Full Service Lite” service schedule on Jan. 16. Services to Penn State’s campus, including the Blue and White loops, will operate on their regular full-service schedule. More information is available on CATA’s website.
Government offices are closed on Monday. The State College Public Works Department will not be collecting bulk or brush items the week of Monday, and the normal bulk or brush schedule will continue Jan. 23.
