JANUARY 21, 2020 — Among the thousands commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. this year at Monday's MLK Day March was a contingent from UTSA.
Students, faculty, staff, alumni and families marched as a UTSA community to “Dream, Believe, Unite, Do” at the 33rd annual MLK Day March on Jan. 20.
Sponsored by the City of San Antonio, the march is the largest commemorative march for King in the nation. The 2.75-mile event began at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy and traveled up MLK Drive to Pittman-Sullivan Park.
—KARLA BROADUS, Senior Lecturer and Project Coordinator of the African American Studies Program
UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Espy and Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson marched beside students, faculty and staff.
UTSA’s MLK Jr. March planning committee was chaired by Karla Broadus, senior lecturer and project coordinator of the African American Studies Program. The committee also included faculty and staff from African American Studies, Office of Inclusive Excellence, Student Leadership Center, Institute of Texan Cultures, Office of Intercultural Programs and Student Engagement, Center for Civic Engagement, University Technology Solutions, UTSA Video Production, President’s Office, and Honor’s College.
“It is beyond important for our UTSA students, faculty and staff to honor the legacy of Dr. King because socially and academically we embrace history as well as social justice,” Broadus said. “History tends to repeat itself, and in our effort to improve, we can learn from the civil rights movement led by Dr. King.”
Alexandrea O’Neal, a master’s student in sociology, said it’s important that people come together at events like the MLK March to fight for what’s right.
“During the civil rights movement in the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders that fought for the equality of African Americans, calling for our community to be treated equally,” O’Neal said. “In this period of time when many people feel emboldened to be racist toward other minorities and make it hard for them to succeed, I feel that it is especially important that more African Americans and their allies take part in this march to fight for the equality that we want to see in our society.”
On Friday, Jan. 24, UTSA will further honor King with the university's annual MLK Day of Service. Roadrunners are encouraged to participate in the service day, located in various locations, including helping to beautify campus, between 9 a.m. and noon.
UTSA’s commemoration of King will continue at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3 in the Denman Room (SU 2.01.28) with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture, which will feature Peniel Joseph, founding director of the Center for Study of Race and Democracy at The University of Texas at Austin.
Joseph describes his career focus as “Black Power Studies,” which encompasses African studies, law and society, women’s and ethnic studies, and political science. Joseph has authored several award-winning books, with his most recent, The Sword and The Shield, due out this spring.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
