This year’s events to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. are more than a celebration of the civil rights leader’s life and accomplishments – they are a call to action for all Penn State students. The theme of the next week’s celebration honoring MLK is Keep Moving Forward, and organizers encourage students to get involved by using the hashtag #takethenextstep to promote the campaign on social media.

Organizers hope that this year’s theme will call all students to make a change to end prejudice not only on the campus, but in the entire world.

The celebration kicks off on Friday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. with the annual MLK memorial banquet hosted by the Forum on Black Affairs at The Penn Stater Conference Center.

The events will be highlighted by a speech from Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, on Monday, January 18 in Schwab Auditorium. Tickets to the speech have already sold out according to the event’s webpage.

Other events on the Monday, the 18^th include the MLK Day of Service, which promotes the involvement of volunteers in the community. To volunteer, you can sign up here. Also on Monday, the documentaries “Martin Luther King Jr.: Look Here” and “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: The Making of a Holiday” will be shown hourly in Foster Auditorium in the Paterno Library. Penn State’s Essence of Joy choir will perform from 1:30-2 p.m. in the Barbara Hackman Franklin Atrium in Pattee Library.

Events continue on Tuesday, January 19 with showings of “I Have a Dream” and other influential speeches in the Freeman Auditorium in the HUB from 12-4 p.m.

On Wednesday, January 20, an interactive art exhibit will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the first-floor Philanthropy Tables in the HUB. A Community Showcase featuring art, poetry, and an essay contest will also be held that evening from 5:30-7 p.m. The event is held in conjunction with the State College Area School District.

A reception and oratorical contest called Speak for Peace will be held in Heritage Hall in the HUB from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, January 21.

MLK events continue the following week with #takethenextstep from 4-6 p.m. in the Freeman Auditorium. The event is a discussion on taking action toward social justice for all.