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MLK Week

Martin Luther King Jr. Awareness Week

Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister, civil-rights activist, and an advocate for race relations in the United States. Through King's activism and inspirational speeches, he played an essential role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the U.S., as well as spurring the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. King was assassinated in April 1968 and continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.

At UMass Lowell, we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. through events centered on community action, engagement, and social justice awareness. This week occurs at the end of January leading into Black History Month in February.

In addition, we also offered events and programming throughout the week relating to MLK such as:

  • Faculty/Staff Social
  • Community Service Event
  • MLK Dinner
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holding a Nobel Peace prize. In 1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and steadfast commitment to achieving racial justice through nonviolent action.

Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Week

Each year, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Awards are presented to University of Massachusetts-Lowell faculty, staff, students, and community leaders. These awards honor the contributions of individuals who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to social change, service, and community engagement.

Nominees should exemplify the dream, vision and work of late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK 2021 Theme: Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere

UML Library: MLK LIBGUIDE: A digital resource that provides online access to texts, images, and audio/video files showcasing Dr. King’s legacy, civil rights movement, and more

Thursday, January 28 
10th MLK Distinguish Service Awards
5-8 p.m. on Hopin
Access the event here: https://hopin.com/events/mlk-jr-distinguished-service-award-celebration. 
Join us for our annual celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  and the MLK Service Awards followed by the viewing of BLM Virtual Art Gallery sponsored by the Student Art Union and the Black Student Union.

Additional Events

Friday, January 29 
Movie Watch Party: One Night in Miami
6-8 p.m.
Co-hosted with Black Student Union (Watch party link to follow).

For more information or help with RSVPing to these events, please email us by email: Multicultural_Affairs@uml.edu.

"No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence" 

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image of Yahayra Michel-Smith

Yahayra Michel - Assistant Teaching Professor, RHSA Peer Leader Mentor, receiving her faculty-staff award for her time over the past two years to mentor first-generation students in the River Hawk Scholars Academy in various capacities.

MLK 2021 - Distinguished Service Awards

Faculty/Staff: Yahayra Michel

Yahayra has graciously volunteered their time over the past two years to mentor first-generation students in the River Hawk Scholars Academy in various capacities. This is a significant time and energy commitment that has made a major impact on the students in our program and on all of us who collaborate on RHSA. She serves as part of the leadership team and mentors Peer Leaders, student mentors who guide RHSA first-year students, providing thoughtful insight and perspective as first-gen student from an immigrant background and a veteran of the U.S. military. Yahayra has plenty on her plate as a professor and devoted mother and still gives of themselves to first-gen students. She regularly speaks truth to power and advocates for justice and equity within our program and beyond. Fighting with quiet, steely fortitude for our students' experiences and identities to be honored. Furthermore, she creates opportunities for our first-generation student leaders to conduct research, supports first-year Criminal Justice majors as an RHSA Faculty Advocate, and serves on the advisory board for the Greeley Peace Scholar program. Yahayra seeks to provide equal education and opportunities to students who have been historically and systemically deprived of them.& Students in RHSA look to them as a role model for someone who has earned a position of power and uses that power to fight, every day, for justice in their teaching, research, and mentorship.

MLK Student Winner 2021 - Pictured on the left, Benedicta Agyemang-Brantuo - Honors Chemistry major on the pre-med track, minoring in public health awarded for her demonstration in leadership and has committed to social change, service and community engagement in various ways.

Pictured on the left, Benedicta Agyemang-Brantuo - Honors Chemistry major on the pre-med track, minoring in public health awarded for her demonstration in leadership and has committed to social change, service and community engagement in various ways.

Student: Benedicta Agyemang-Brantuo

Benedicta has demonstrated leadership and has committed to social change, service and community engagement in many ways. Inspired by the quote of Martin Luther King, Jr. which states that " of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane", this nominee created a club called Advocates of Health Equity for Minorities which not only serve as a club, but a community for minorities to have meetings and events which will advocate for good health and sound mind for underrepresented populations. Recently, Benedicta hosted an event where she invited two physicians for a panel. These physicians talked about how it feels to be a minority in the health field and other tips on how to survive undergraduate school academically. She is also a Senator for Student Government, an LLC mentor, and participated in the difference maker challenge and attempted to provide transportation for pregnant women who are addicted to opioids in Lowell. Currently, Benedicta is an ambassador for the Kennedy College of Sciences where they answer questions that prospective students might have during an open house.

UMass Lowell 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Week

All videos held within this tab shows all previous collaborations that were done with our office.


Enjoy this video highlighting previous collaborations from 2017 that produced the art featured during our Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Distinguished Service Awards Dinners!

This collaboration was from 2018: the 2018 MLK Awards, Refuge Lowell art project.
2019 was the year we had art collaborations that were put out on displays for attendees to look at during the event.

Questions?

Contact Associate Director of Multicultural Affairs Francine Coston by email at: Francine_Coston@uml.edu.

To see pictures from our 2020 MLK ceremony, please visit our Facebook page.

Watch our 2016 community collaboration with Murkland Elementary: "Lenses of Civil Right: Intersections of Struggle and Progress."