In order to understand the history of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations at Virginia Tech, we need to better understand the milestones associated with the development of the holiday. The Dr. Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday that is observed on the third Monday in January.

National Milestones

After King's death in 1968, Rep. John Conyers introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday.

Not until 1982 does Congress passes legislation establishing the holiday

MLK Holiday established when President Reagan signed the “King Day” bill on November 2, 1982.

First MLK Holiday was observed on January 20, 1986. 

The January 2000 celebrations marked the first time that every state in the United States observed the holiday.

January 2000 also marked the first time that the holiday was stand-alone and not with Lee-Jackson Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia Tech Milestones

Virginia Tech first acknowledged the need to make accommodations for students observing the MLK Holiday in 1996 through Policy memo #163.

It was not until 2002 that efforts to make Virginia Tech recognize the holiday with no classes were finally successful.  Through the efforts of the Commission on Student Affairs and subsequent adoption by University Council, the Academic Calendar was changed in Spring 2003 to reflect no classes on the MLK observance beginning with the 2005-06 school year.

January 2006 marked the first time that no classes were held on MLK day at Virginia Tech and marked the start of the University-wide celebrations honoring the legacy of Dr. King.

January 2008 marked the first time that the university was officially closed on the MLK day in order to allow all members of the university community to participate in the celebrations.

What happened before 2006?

Before the 2006 celebrations, a number of events had taken place on MLK Day even though school was in session.

One of the main organizers of these events were the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. They honored the memory of their fellow Brother Dr. King by coordinating a candlelight vigil and program on this date. The program was called ‘One Night” and brought interested students, faculty, staff and community members together.

The celebration by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., initially started in the late 1980’s and consisted of the Chapter President reciting the famous words of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Over the years, the celebration would take on various forms.

In January 1997, a Diversity Summit was held on MLK Day in which faculty, staff and students could engage each other on various issues of diversity. This provided an opportunity to honor Dr. King while school was in session. The Diversity Summit continued to be held on MLK Day until 2005, when it was moved to the first Friday following MLK Day. Today, the university marks the 11th Diversity Summit and it serves as the culminating event to the University MLK Celebrations.

In January 2005, the DROP Alliance held protest teach-in’s in the Black Cultural Center to express their discontent with classes being held on the MLK holiday.

In Fall 2005, the Commission on Equal Opportunity and Diversity (CEOD) took the led in bringing a number of university and community groups together to coordinate the first-ever University and community wide celebrations honoring Dr. King. The celebration would span the entire week and consist of various activities.

Rev. Jesse Jackson served as the keynote speaker in 2006, this was followed by the late Yolanda King in 2007, and by Dr. Maya Angelou in 2008.

Today

The 2009 University MLK Celebrations consist of two weeks of activities that honor the legacy of Dr. King. These celebrations are definitely built upon the efforts that took place prior to 2006, and continue to be expanded throughout the university and local community.

The University MLK Celebrations provide an opportunity for Virginia Tech to showcase the impact and legacy of Dr. King. Today, the Office for Equity and Inclusion serves as the coordinating body for the University MLK Celebrations in partnership with the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. A new University MLK Committee was formed in Fall 2009.

 

Virginia Tech celebrates the legacy of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 18 - 30, 2009