Colleges and universities across the country are preparing to celebrate the legacy of a civil rights icon who championed integration and changed America’s livesRev. Dr. Forrest M. Pritchett Racial landscape.

Every third Monday in January, millions of Americans pay homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and this year is no different. In fact, some college leaders say that now more than ever is the time to remember King’s contributions, given the ongoing attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Seton Hall University in New Jersey decided to overhaul its annual MLK program several years ago, citing the need for change in the face of a difficult political climate.

The college now commemorates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the Martin Luther King Day Symposium, an academic credit workshop where both students can earn college or continuing education credit for their participation in the event. The course is offered at no additional cost, regardless of a student’s credit load.

“After the 2016 election, we thought America needed to modernize,” said Rev. Dr. Forrest Pritchett, who directs the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program and Gospel Choir. “We thought it could be a teachable moment and that it was time for us to move away from what we call our assumptions about things and get into the real details of what makes America tick.”

Pritchett said the school’s annual MLK celebration is rooted in a tradition that dates back to 1970, adding that Seton Hall’s MLK leadership program covers current events with an emphasis on servant leadership, Africana studies and the Promoting a historical understanding of King’s enduring legacy integrated. This year’s event includes a keynote address by Dr. Drew GI Hart, associate professor of theology and program director of Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice at Messiah University.

At King’s alma mater – Morehouse College in Atlanta – school leaders emphasized that the annual commemoration honoring their most famous alumnus provides the college with an opportunity to connect King’s life to the foundation of its own legacy as the country’s only historically black institution for men.

King attended Morehouse and graduated with a degree in sociology in 1948.Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries

“Dr. King’s life and legacy are central to our mission at Morehouse College as a historically black liberal arts institution,” said Dr. Vicki Crawford, director of the Martin Luther King Collection at Morehouse. “We see it in the work we do with the King collection and our Martin Luther King scholars.”

Crawford said students will be able to read King’s words firsthand and form their own conclusions about the leader and the relevance of his message in today’s world. Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries – a noted historian and professor at Ohio State University – will give this year’s lecture. Jeffries, the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in the Black Belt of Alabama, is a 1994 graduate of Morehouse.

Morehouse’s week-long celebration begins with a college-wide forum on January 16 led by Dr. David Wall Rice, a psychology professor at Morehouse.

Leaders of the historic MLK Commemorative Commission, founded in 1982 in Knoxville, Tennessee, will partner with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to host the flagship annual MLK Awards Luncheon and Leadership Educational Symposium.

The Commission hosts an annual week-long series of events to honor the King’s legacy.

Clarence Vaughn, director of the Office of Access and Community Connections at UT and a member of the MLK Commission, said the partnership not only increases student participation in the events, but also gives residents of the surrounding community an opportunity to benefit from the university to support Visit the campus.

“There’s a lot of work being done with our access and engagement officers, including myself, to really make that contribution to community engagement,” Vaughn said. “But this gives us the opportunity to do that by inviting all communities to come and celebrate a meaningful event like Kings Week. So we’re delighted to host it here and it’s really been a great partnership.”

The partnership with the city of Knoxville, Vaughn added, has proven successful.

“In conjunction with the volunteer spirit of our institution, the life and legacy of Dr. King, I think this is just a good addition that will help support our initiatives as we try to be part of the beloved community,” he said.

For 25 years, Wayne State University in Michigan has hosted its annual King program. This year’s theme, ““Sixty Years After Selma and We’re Still Marching” marks the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when dozens of protesters – including the late Congressman John Lewis, who led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) – brutalized the massacre Edmund Pettus Bridge attacked.

“Dr. King dedicated his life to achieving civil rights for all people. By continuing to honor his commitment and sacrifices each year, we honor his memory and reaffirm our commitment to his ideals,” said Stacie Clayton, Wayne State University Director of Community Affairs.

The late Dr. Arthur Johnson, who served as senior vice president at Wayne State University and was a classmate of King’s at Morehouse in the 1940s, created the first MLK tribute at the school. Johnson, a leader of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, died in 2011.

Like Morehouse, Florida A&M University, another historically Black institution, will host a gathering that will allow students, faculty, staff and the local community in Tallahassee to come together to assess King’s legacy of civic engagement and advocacy.

“Dr. King has a poignant quote that says, “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.” His life and commitment to the civil rights movement remind us that we can all make a difference when we face challenges that need to be addressed said Alonda Thomas, Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at FAMU.