MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University and the City of Morgantown a ready to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Starting Monday morning, activities will be taking place across WVU’s campus and the City of Morgantown celebrating the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. The ceremonies will begin with the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast the WVU Mountainlair Ballroom starting at 8 a.m. During the breakfast will be the presentation of the MLK Achievement Award. Also speaking will be former WVU football player turned motivational speaker Eugene Napoleon who will serve as the keynote speaker.
“He is going to come in and speak to our students and to all of the community and we are very much looking forward to having him,” said Director of WVU Center for Black Culture and Research Marjorie Fuller about Napoleon speaking.
Following the breakfast, there will be several service projects that will be completed around WVU’s campus and the City of Morgantown. According to Fuller, volunteers will be participating throughout the day as projects of various kinds will be worked on to celebrate King’s legacy. This will include the participation of groups such as the Apallachain Prison Book Project at the WVU Center for Service and Christian Help where volunteers will be helping in day-to-day activities. Two of several projects that Fuller says adhere to King’s legacy of taking action head on.
“We like to remember our history and to celebrate our history every year, but also to encourage our young people to go on out there and realize that they are the change agents of today,” she said.
Along with the service projects taking place around Morgantown, there will also be several ceremonies that will be taking place celebrating King’s memory. In the morning, after the breakfast and during the several service projects, will be the West Virginia Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission Ecumenical Service taking place at the Asbury United Methodist Church. Then in the afternoon starting at 2 p.m., a ceremony unveiling the newly named Martin Luther King Jr. will take place between Court Street and Brawley Walkway which will be followed by a symbolic march to the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center on 304 Donnally Street where Vice President for WVU Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Meshea L. Poore will speak about Dr. King’s message of acceptance regardless of who they are.
“We do believe in peaceful change, recognizing everyone’s humanity, and being out there and getting the word out, ” said Fuller. “About making sure that we respect everybody, everyone’s religion, everyone’s ethnicity,” she said.
Also taking place in Downtown Morgantown to celebrate will be a free for all program at the Metropolitan Theater starting at 2 p.m. The program includes performances by area choirs, readings of Martin Luther King’s essays and a reading by Jeremy Thomas of the children’s book The Youngest Marcher. These events, ceremonies and service projects taking place all across Morgantown, all are meant to not only encourage as many people to continue Dr. King’s legacy. but to pay tribute for all the hard work that has taken place to get there.
“We do want to make sure that everyone in the Morgantown community recognizes the fact that they are one hundred percent welcome to attend the Unity Breakfast or any of the other activities that are happening on campus, on this very special day,” said Fuller.