Remembering the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To the Georgia Tech Community:
With the culmination of the 50th anniversary of the matriculation of the first African American students at Georgia Tech and last fall’s dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., this year’s observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday carries even more meaning than usual. A welcome celebration of the progress we have made and the work yet to be done along with a tangible monument in our nation’s Capitol that honors the reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s national and international contributions to world peace through non-violent social change have both been meaningful expressions of our commitment to the inclusion of all peoples as part of the Georgia Tech community.
This week the Georgia Tech campus is buzzing with that continued spirit of celebration. The extensive agenda of Tech’s MLK events started off with an exceptional lecture by Myrlie Evers-Williams and continues with a symposium led by former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin on embracing and leveraging the rich diversity we already have here at Tech, a focus on the Freedom Rides of 1961 and the students who retraced the Freedom Riders’ steps in 2011, and a journey to Montgomery, Alabama, for a tour of major civil rights sites, including the Rosa Parks Museum.
A full schedule of King Week events is posted at http://www.diversity.gatech.edu/MLK-celebration.
While Dr. King was taken from us more than 40 years ago, his message of equality of opportunity and respect for the dignity of every person resonates today as powerfully as ever. Regardless of whether you are a student, faculty or staff member, we hope that you will find a way to engage in the campus celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy.
Regards,
G. P. “Bud” Peterson
