For 41 years, the University of Utah has commemorated the life and legacy of one of America’s greatest civil rights advocates, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His principles of nonviolent demonstration against systemic inequality and institutional injustice are among the most widely known virtues in the nation’s history.
This year, the theme for MLK Week at the U is “Learning to Action: Movement Toward Just Communities.” Click here for more information on events and happenings all week.
With that in mind, more than 300 people braved the frigid cold on Jan. 20, 2025, to participate in a program meant to create a sense of unity and shared optimism.
“As a campus committed to intellectual, social, and personal growth, the march and rally are vital moments for our community,” said LeiLoni Allan McLaughlin, director of the U’s Center for Community and Cultural Engagement (CCE). “They remind us that our presence on this diverse campus today is a direct result of MLK’s courageous dream and his determination to bridge divides and unite people in the pursuit of justice.”
“This is a powerful day. This day marks something of a miracle to the country. In this time of genocide, police brutality, extreme hunger and poverty and every other tragedy we face today, MLK’s work gives a morsel of hope for those who listen and care about making this world a better place,” said Nevaeh Parker, Black Student Union president and assistant director of the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) Culture and Belonging Board (C&B). “As we reflect on the life of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, we see an extraordinary amount of progress. Our ancestors dreamed of an America that took care of all human beings, despite all else.”
“We have written laws, created spaces and joined together in ways that previously felt impossible. At the same time, we still have more to do,” she said. “MLK’s legacy is inspiring to the masses and his words reach far. His ideals are many of our main points of reference when we think of Black history.”
Parker presented a spoken word poem as one of the featured speakers during the rally portion of the event inside Kingsbury Hall. In terms of the local impact, she said MLK was someone to look towards as we navigate the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the state.
“His wisdom tells us, ‘It’s all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is cruel to say to a bootless man to lift himself that way’.”
“Equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to these inequalities,” Parker said. “This must not be lost on us. As a society, we must learn from our history rather than just learn of it.”
In addition to Parker, other speakers included Utah Black Chamber President and CEO Dr. Sidni Shorter, Rep. Sandra Hollins (D-Salt Lake), Rachel Weaver, BYU Black Menaces and Rev. France Davis. The CCE also presented the MLK Legacy Award to Emma E. Houston, the U’s assistant vice president for Community Engagement and Union Events Manager Laura Farthing for their ongoing community service work on campus.
The rally and march were streamed live on abc4.com.
For Eleanor Taylor, a first-year U student majoring in criminology and sociology, MLK Day was the first time she had participated in any kind of activism event, which was a bit daunting, she said.
“I was initially a little bit nervous coming here, just because none of my friends wanted to. Stepping out of my comfort zone was hard, but I am so glad that I came,” she said. “All the speakers were so empowering. This definitely helped raise my spirits and I just really enjoyed everything.”
“As a middle-class white woman, obviously the world isn’t out to get me but I don’t think I have been supporting some of my friends as much as I could have,” Taylor explained. “This experience has really shown me there are lots of different ways to be supportive such as just moving in small but deliberate ways to create big change and that really struck me. It definitely motivates me to seek out other opportunities on how I can improve myself.”
The best way that we can become better ourselves is to learn from others and different people’s experiences, she said.
“The most beautiful thing about humanity is that we’re all different and I love learning people’s stories and how they have overcome trials,” she said. “Just learning from people is really important.”