On Jan. 20, 2025, Brandeis University celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In an email sent out on Jan. 13, Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Leadership Taisha White, Chaplain & Coordinator of Christian Life Karl LaClair and Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Lee Bitsóí listed some of the ways that the University planned to commemorate this occasion.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began his journey for justice in his community,” said White, LaClair and Bitsóí in the email. “With the support of his wife, Coretta Scott King, he embarked on a journey of care about the plight of people all over the world. He, and many others inspired by him, fought for civil rights for Black people and other marginalized communities. Though he was taken from the world too soon in a violent act, his legacy embodies community, and his words and dreams are alive with us today. We can apply them and determine how they resonate with our lives.”
White, LaClair and Bitsóí continued, “we will be hosting a program on Friday, January 17th from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. in Skyline Commons.” Speakers announced for the event were Rev. Dr. Brandon Crowley as well as Desiree Murphy, Esq. (2010). Additionally, White, LaClair and Bitsóí included several links to BrandeisNow articles describing Dr. King’s relationship with Brandeis University. According to the email, “Dr. King made three visits to Brandeis in 1956, 1957, and 1963.” One of these articles, “When Martin Luther King Jr. visited Brandeis,” includes a full recording of a lecture he gave at Brandeis on April 3, 1957. The lecture, titled “Justice Without Violence,” addressed “the segregation crisis in the south and [Dr. King’s] theory and practice of nonviolent resistance.”
Lastly, the email concluded with a link to an article about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship. This scholarship was created by Brandeis in 1968 “as a result of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent occupation of Ford Hall and the 10 demands of January 1969.” According to the article, the scholarship is “available to students of all backgrounds on the basis of merit in line with the missions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
