The life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated in a series of student led events on campus on Monday, Jan. 16.
King is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation and for promotion of racial equality in the United States.
The MLK Day of Greatness begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16 in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom with poster making. Free materials and a limited number of commemorative Boise State MLK Celebration T-shirts will be available.
From there, attendees and event organizers will march to the steps of the Idaho State Capitol at approximately 11:30 a.m. Marchers will progress from Student Union on campus to the Capitol Steps for a rally with speakers from the community. At the conclusion of the rally, attendees will be invited inside the Capitol Rotunda to join the community in the State of Idaho’s recognition of Human Rights Day.
“The Storyteller” is tai simpson’s name in the Indigenous language of the Nez Perce Tribe. Her heartwork in the community is serving as an organizer for the Indigenous Idaho Alliance. She participates in Collective Stewardship as a Co-director with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence. For fifteen years, tai has been an antiracism activist and community organizer. She uses contemporary and traditional Indigenous storytelling to champion radical inclusion, equity, and liberation. Notably, she has a TEDxBoise talk exploring Indigenous beliefs as the basis for empowering and nurturing community. In 2019, she was pivotal in passing legislation to acknowledge the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women’s crisis in Idaho as well as centering Indigenous voices in policy work. In 2020, tai was cornerstone to the Black community by coordinating a vigil to honor the many Black lives lost at the hands of police violence; that organizing still carries forward today.
Other student-led activities planned for the day include the MLK Living Legacy Keynote Conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom.
In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Ibram X. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2021, The Root 100 listed Dr. Kendi as the tenth most influential African American between the ages of 25 and 45 and the most influential college professor. Dr. Kendi was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019. And he was elected to the prestigious Society of American Historians and named a 2021 Young Global Leader, the World Economic Forum’s annual class of the most promising leaders around the globe under the age of 40.
This event is planned and organized by students. All events are free and open to the public.
Free parking in Lincoln Garage and Brady Garage. No code necessary.
