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Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Center for Student Enrichment host MLK service events

HONORING LEGACY - NMU students gather to enjoy lunch together in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
HONORING LEGACY – NMU students gather to enjoy lunch together in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Tony Anderson

Northern Michigan University Students gathered in Hedgcock to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy on Monday, Jan. 20. Students made blankets, cards and bracelets for the community, and listened to inspiring speeches from staff and students.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and the Center for Student Enrichment (CSE) worked together to host this event to spread King’s message and jumpstart a week of events surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

This event on Monday was meant to kick off the week of service activities on campus,” said sophomore Annabell Bartman, a student volunteer. “The events overall are meant to honor the message MLK communicated in serving our communities.”

According to staff members, service events like these had positive impacts on the students who attended.

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“It’s really an amazing opportunity for students who may not be as familiar with Martin Luther King, Jr. to come together and have an opportunity to learn more about what he means to our country and his values,” said Rhea Dever, vice president of People, Culture and Wellbeing at NMU.

The volunteers who helped make this event possible agreed that it only takes one service-minded person to inspire others. 

“I hope these events inspire people to do more service projects or look to find ways to better help people, even if that’s something as simple as holding the door for someone,” Bartman said. “I think, or hope, that there will be a sort of chain reaction in the community.” 

Attendees noticed that this year, the ODI and CSE chose to host a full week of events to spread King’s words, rather than hosting it on one day as they have done in the past. 

Dever said she looks forward to this event every year, and thought it was a good idea to host a week full of events for students who did not have the chance to make it to Monday’s gathering.

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