A fifteen-year epic struggle resulted in the remembrance and immortalization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who is commemorated with an annual federal holiday that takes place on the third Monday of January.

Honoring the legacy of Dr. King, MLK Day has taken on many forms of observance. Particularly at NC State, we have invited nationally recognized guest speakers to pass on the tradition of inspirational rhetoric and many notable others who are creating their own legacy in their own right. (See related article, The History of MLK at NC State.)

This year, however, after spending nearly a year navigating a global pandemic and an even greater need to understand what one can do in the fight for racial justice, we recognize our community needs something more. It needs consistency, longevity, and restored hope for reconciliation and transformation.

The African American Cultural Center has listened to its community and responded with multiple opportunities for engagement throughout the spring 2021 semester. We assert that King’s legacy lives on, thus within our spring programming we center the aliveness of his fight and the many others who aided in the momentum of the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights Movement until today.

Join us as we honor Dr. King while also honoring the unseen and unsung heroes of racial justice movement work. We have crafted special opportunities with Ashley Gaddy Enterprises to help us determine where we are and what we can do amidst the struggles that come while situated on a historically and predominately white campus. Furthermore, on Jan. 21, 2021, we will host community scholars, activists and organizers who will engage in a community conversation about how we can restore community and move collectively as a site of liberation within NC State and the Raleigh community.

• Learn more and register at go.ncsu.edu/mlk.

angela gay-audre is director of the African American Cultural Center.