Colorado State University, Fort Collins communities come together to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 18

Note to Reporters: Marchers will assemble at the new stage in Old Town Square beginning at 10:30 a.m.

The Colorado State University and Fort Collins communities will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with several events on Monday, Jan. 18. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Facing Racism: Our Responsibility to Act.”

“It is a very befitting theme based on the multitude of unfortunate events that have happened across the country in the past year,” said Bridgette Johnson, director of the Black/African American Cultural Center on campus. “Unfortunately, the walls of injustice formed long ago still seem to be in place, and it is up to each and every one of us to take responsibility for the struggle to break them down.”

The MLK Day celebration kicks off at 11 a.m. with the traditional community march from Old Town Square to the Lory Student Center on CSU’s campus.

The route of the one-mile community march will start in Old Town Square and continue south down College Avenue, then west on Laurel Street. The march will proceed through the center of the Oval on Colorado State’s campus, then continue west on Isotope Drive to end at CSU’s Lory Student Center. Free transportation will be available back to the Old Town garage, located on Mountain Avenue near Remington Street.

Celebration events

Immediately following the march, a celebration will commence at 11:45 a.m. in the Lory Student Center Main Ballroom. After welcoming remarks from CSU President Tony Frank and a proclamation by Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell, this year’s poetry and essay contest winners from Poudre School District will read their winning works. The MLK Fort Collins Citywide Choir and the Fale Drum group will provide musical entertainment, and the winner of the college-level spoken word competition will present the award-winning piece.

Click here for a full schedule of events.

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