BGSU expands annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Learning with eighth annual Symposium on Diversity

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University will hold its 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Learning on Monday, Jan. 16 and is expanding the annual day of community service with the addition of the eighth annual Symposium on Diversity.

The annual day of service allows BGSU students, faculty and staff to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by creating public good through community service activities within Bowling Green and the greater northwestern Ohio community. The Symposium on Diversity this year also gives the campus community an opportunity to come together to learn about and reflect upon contemporary issues. 

The MLK Day of Service and Learning kicks off with the Symposium on Diversity from 9:30 a.m to 1 p.m. at the Lenhart Grand Ballroom in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

“By adding the Symposium on Diversity to our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, participating students have the unique opportunity to learn about a wide range of issues related to diversity before embarking on their own service activities that day,” said Dr. Cordula Mora, who directs the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) and organizes the annual event. 

The symposium will feature welcoming remarks by Mora, opening remarks by BGSU President Dr. Rodney K. Rogers and a keynote address by Kyrsten Stuckey, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and BGSU President’s Leadership Academy scholar. Creative presentations by students, faculty and staff will follow and the symposium’s closing event is a screening of the film, “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in the United States.” 

Service events and exhibitions will take place concurrently in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union and the Falcon Food Pantry, as well as off-campus at the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Toledo. Those exhibitions and service opportunities are:  

• 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Why Vote? A History of Voting Rights Exhibition, Room 228 (Multipurpose Room)  
• 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Letters from 2020, Room 201 A&B  
• 1:30-3:30 p.m: Writing letters/cards to veterans, Room 207  
• 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Writing letters/cards to nursing home residents, Room 208  
• 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Falcon Food Pantry Drive, Central Hall, Room 109  
• 1:15-4 p.m.: Service at Ronald McDonald House of Greater Toledo – cleaning and taking down holiday decorations  
• 1:15-4 p.m.: Service at Ronald McDonald House of Greater Toledo – putting together toiletry kits for families 

Media members are invited to attend events on the BGSU campus. In respect of student privacy, media members may not enter residence halls. 

Beyond the Dream 2023

The spirit of the MLK Day of Service and Learning carries on throughout the year at BGSU with the Beyond the Dream 2023 speaker and event series.  

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, BGSU welcomes one of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., to campus to give the Beyond the Dream 2023 keynote address at the Lenhart Ballroom in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union at 7 p.m. Glaude Jr. is an author, political commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience.

At 6 p.m on Friday, Jan. 20, winners of the Art of Diversity: Art for the Public Good will be featured and announced during the gallery closing event at the Willard Wankelman Gallery of the BGSU Fine Arts Center. The second annual BGSU Division of Diversity and Belonging visual and performing arts showcase and competition features the works of K-12 students and community members from Wood, Lucas and Erie counties as well as BGSU students, faculty and staff. The showcase is available for viewing from Saturday, Jan. 14 through Friday, Jan. 20.  

To learn more about the Art of Diversity at BGSU, visit the Art of Diversity website.  

For additional Beyond the Dream 2023 events, visit the Beyond the Dream website.