This month, the University of Utah is recognizing the life and legacy of American civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Jan. 17-22, 2026. Over the days of MLK Week 2026, the U will host various events that remind individuals to stand with their fellow community members in the collective effort to bring us all closer together.

This year’s theme, “The time is always right to do what is right,” is meant to be a cue for communities to remember that justice, compassion and moral courage are essential in the fight for equality for all.

Leiloni Allan McLaughlin, director of the U’s Office of Community and Cultural Engagement (CCE), said MLK Week 2026 highlights what it means to “choose what’s right” through community collaboration.

“Sometimes the right thing is to use your voice and speak up for those around you who might not have the privilege to use their voice,” she said. “It might be children who need you to speak up for them. We are in a time where doing the right thing can be really difficult, very emotionally and mentally taxing. But this is a time when it matters the most. When we need everyone to show up and do right by each other, right by our communities.”

The public is invited to join in the planned events happening this week, including the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 17, and the MLK March & Rally on Jan. 19. The march begins at 2 p.m. in the Olpin Student Union ballroom. Following the rally, the community is invited to enjoy a performance by the renowned Ailey II Dance Company in Kingsbury Hall at 4:30 p.m. Information on how to purchase tickets for this event can be found here. The entire march and rally will be streamed and televised on ABC4 Utah starting at 2 p.m.

“We need community now more than ever,” said MLK Planning Committee member Eddy Thompson Jr. “We need to unite now more than ever as we see some of the different challenges in our communities.”

“Some people feel disconnected, even though we have so many ways of bringing us closer together around what is positive,” he added.

“Dr. King talked about creating the beloved community,” said MLK Planning Committee member Emma E. Houston. “When I know that my family is happy, would I not want someone else’s family to also be happy? We should share with each other.”

“We are not in a state of scarcity. We have an abundance in our community,” she said. “We have to change our mindset to realize that if each person helped their neighbor, then we would eliminate some of the disparities we face in the community as a whole.”

A Live Podcast with Dr. Andrea N. Baldwin on Working for Civil Rights Today

Tuesday, Jan. 20, Noon
J. Willard Marriott Library, Gould Auditorium, Level 1
The live podcast will start promptly at noon
Directions and parking
Register here

Join us for a special live recording of the Standpoints podcast featuring Dr. Andrea N. Baldwin in conversation with Utah community advocates, faculty and student leadership. Together, the panel will explore the meaning of civil rights today, revisiting foundational definitions, examining where we stand in this current moment and asking whether there is consensus around what civil rights require of us.

Through a conversation that brings together grounded personal narratives, the realities of working within institutions and the deep insight of community engagement, this event invites us to consider how we continue the unfinished work of civil rights in our everyday lives and organizations. The session will include prepared questions as well as an open Q&A with the live audience, offering a space for reflection and collective visioning.

About Dr. Andrea Baldwin

Andrea N. Baldwin is associate chair and associate professor in the Department of Ethnic, Gender and Disability Studies at the University of Utah. She is an attorney-at-law and also holds a master’s degree in international trade policy along with a doctorate from the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, Nita Barrow Unit, at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus. Dr. Baldwin is the founder of the Black Feminist Eco Lab at the University of Utah, where her work centers around Black and Caribbean feminist thought, ecological justice and community-engaged scholarship. She is also the host of Standpoints, a Black feminist podcast produced by Virginia Tech Publishing. Born and raised on the small Caribbean island state of Barbados, she considers herself an all-around Caribbean woman and loves everything coconut and soca music.

Podcast panelists

• Ashley Finley, a community advocate, doula, student-midwife and member of the Black Birth Workers Collective
• Bianca Mittendorf, doctoral student, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
• Chelsea Bouldin, assistant professor, Department of Ethnic, Gender and Disability Studies