JANUARY 18, 2021 — Every year groups of Roadrunners usually take to the streets of San Antonio’s East Side as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march, one of the largest MLK marches in the country. While the pandemic has prevented the physical march from taking place, it isn’t stopping members of the community, including UTSA, from celebrating the work of King.
The City of San Antonio and MLK Jr. Commission is hosting the virtual event, “The Dream Continues,” today at 10 a.m., and it will feature special appearances from various organizations, community members, and colleges and universities.
UTSA will take part in the presentation with remarks from vice president Myron Anderson, current students, and video footage of previous marches. Among those contributing to the university’s presentation is James Hernandez, a doctoral research fellow in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching.
“I wanted to be part of UTSA’s MLK Day video because I not only want the university to know the history of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but also recognize critically how many of the inequalities that he strongly opposed still exist today,” Hernandez said. “The privilege of attending a university may not have been possible for many of us had Dr. King not stood up for all marginalized people.”
Hernandez added that it’s important not only to recognize the indelible legacy of King but to learn from the inequalities that have suppressed students of color throughout American history.
“Since The University of Texas at San Antonio is a Hispanic Serving Institution of higher education, it is important to provide meaningful, trauma-informed support, resources, and opportunities that acknowledge the histories of students from historically marginalized communities and actively work toward reversing the effects of racial oppression for current and future generations of students,” he said.
To continue with the MLK Day celebrations, UTSA has invited Fred A. Bonner II, executive director for the Minority Achievement, Creativity and High Ability Center at Prairie View A&M University, for the MLK Annual Lecture on Wednesday, January 27 at 1 p.m.
The Dream Continues presentation will air on San Antonio’s WOAI-TV and TVSA and will stream on the city’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
UTSA will also be hosting virtual events to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy after the start of the spring semester.
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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.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
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.
