Annual Austin March, Rally Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Set

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The 25th annual community march and rally honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr. will begin at The University of Texas at Austin and proceed to the Huston-Tillotson University campus, where events and entertainment will continue until 3 p.m., organizers said Thursday.

Recap:

When: 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21

Where: Near the MLK statue on the East Mall of The University of Texas at Austin campus.

Background: The event will kick off with a short program at the MLK statue on the East Mall. Gregory L. Fenves, president of The University of Texas at Austin, will provide the welcome.

Additional speakers include:

• Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement Leonard Moore
• State Rep. Sheryl Cole
• Vice Provost for Diversity Edmund T. Gordon
• African and African Diaspora Studies Department Chair Cherise Smith

The event will include a performance by Innervisions, along with the winner of the MLK Oratory Contest from an area public school.

March Route Map Available Here

“We invite Central Texans to join us on the University of Texas at Austin campus as we commemorate the 90th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and kick off the city’s MLK Day celebration,” Leonard Moore, vice president for diversity and community engagement, said in a a prepared statement. “Dr. King’s landmark birthday is the ideal time to reflect on his work on racial, social and economic justice and on his inspirational life of service.”

This year participants are asked to bring canned goods or nonperishable items for donation to the Capital Area Food Bank. Donation receptacles will be available at The University of Texas and Huston-Tillotson University.

For more information about the event and parking for the day, visit the Austin Area Heritage Council website.

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>>> Image: The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. is shown in the early morning light on Martin Luther King Day January 15, 2018 in Washington DC. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 89 years old today. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)