Celebration of MLK's Legacy to be Held in Farmington Hills

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FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – Oakland Community College will hold events honoring the birthday and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Farmington Hills and Detroit Friday and Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The events are free and open to the public.

“We are proud of OCC’s long-standing tradition to come together and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with top speakers and service projects focused on improving the quality of life in our community,” OCC Chancellor Tim Meyer said in a statement.

“These activities are part of our broader commitment to ensure that respect and inclusion, in all its forms, are valued throughout the College and our community,” Meyer said.

The first of the events, the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation 2016, takes place from 10 a.m.-noon Friday, Jan. 15, at Smith Theater on OCC’s Orchard Ridge Campus, 27055 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills.

The guest speaker is Stephen Henderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press, host of WDET’s “Detroit Today,” and host of the weekly talk shows “American Black Journal” and “MiWeek,” both on Detroit Public Television. Among his many awards and honors, Henderson was the National Association of Black Journalists’ pick for Journalist of the Year in 2014.

The event is sponsored by the OCC College Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, which is designed to raise diversity and inclusion awareness through programs and activities and advocate a collaborative vision of diversity and inclusion.

The second event, the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project 2016, is an all-day event beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 18, at 11600 East Seven Mile Road in Detroit.

For more than 10 years, OCC’s Student LIFE organizers participate in a volunteer project benefitting a local non-profit organization (the college is closed in honor of the holiday).

This year’s project is to secure 25 vacant properties and create safer pathways on student walking routes to Detroit’s Pulaski Elementary and Osborn High Schools. The larger project is sponsored by the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program, Build On, Detroit Public Schools, the Detroit Youth Service Corps, Wayne Cares and Wayne State University.

If you’d like to participate, register here.

OCC Student LIFE is deeply dedicated to community service and providing additional pathways for students for leadership development.

“This is a perfect opportunity to honor Dr. King’s legacy and celebrate his belief that “Everyone can be great,” Meyer said. “Because anybody can serve.”

» Photo by Rowland Scherman, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, via Wikipedia