FIU Honors the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By: Aura Altamiranda/Staff Writer

This year marks the 21st annual commemoration of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the University.

A two-week program has been organized by the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services  and committee members that come from different departments of the University including the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Medicine, the Honors College, the Center for Leadership and Service, among many more.

“I think people walk away energized and wanting to make sure they are contributing to the ideals of Dr. King and that we can somehow make sure we’re keeping his dream alive and keeping his legacy alive and moving in the right direction,” said Dorrett Sawyers, MPAS Director and committee chairperson.

MLK Commemorative Breakfast, which is serving as the premiere event of a series of celebratory activities held in Dr. King’s honor, is being held on Jan. 13.

The event will take place from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the Graham Center Ballrooms and has an expected turnout of 550 attendees with a current waiting list.

These attendees, by ticket or invitation only, will range from different members of the FIU community to the outside community, such as students from different high schools.

With funding from Student Government, the College of Medicine, the Honors College, and other sponsors in and out of campus sought out by the fundraising committee, the event was planned with a budget of $42,000.

Six months of planning led the committee to choose the program’s overall theme as “Health Equity: A Lasting Legacy.”

From a narrowed-down list of five qualified candidates, keynote speaker Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, professor of Psychiatry, associate dean for Student Affairs, and director of the Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs for Harvard Medical School was selected from a series of candidates by the committee to address this year’s theme.

Dr. Poussaint has authored several books on the subject of mental health and has become an authority on race and ethnicity in today’s society.

This breakfast will be the precursor to the MLK day of Service at Gould’s Park in Cutler Bay, the MLK Parade in Liberty City, among many others.

More information for these events can be found on the web on news.fiu.edu or on the FIU Mobile App.