Grand Valley State University will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week. Though this event will follow a similar pattern to past years, this year is expected to be a more sobering and thought provoking event.

Recent controversies such as the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner’s infamous, “I can’t breathe” in New York City make this year’s theme hit closer to home.

The theme, “No More Silence” comes from Dr. King’s famous quote, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“We reflected that some of the racial killings over the past few years; Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner,” said Kin Ma, co-chair for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration executive planning committee. “We wanted to highlight some of the things that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. highlighted and show that people want to speak out about these incidents and address those wrongs.”

Events will take place from Jan. 19-24 and will include featured speakers Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old who was killed in 2012, as well as author and activist Marc Lamont Hill.

To more effectively answer questions for Fulton’s Jan. 19 MLK Keynote presentation,
the MLK Committee requests that questions be sent by Wednesday, Jan. 14 by 10 p.m. to the following email address, [email protected] with the subject line: *Sybrina Question* Fulton will then respond to these questions within her presentation.

Ma said that the speakers will provide a profound backdrop for the theme. Bobby Springer, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and co-chair of the celebration planning committee, said that GVSU is very fortunate to have Fulton on campus. Fulton’s message will tie into recent race discussions in the U.S.

“We knew what she had been through would be a great message to share with our community,” Springer said. “After we selected her, stuff started happening which made the connection with her even stronger because she has been through some of the experiences that some of these families have partaken in the last few months. To know she has lost someone very precious, that is powerful all by itself.”

Springer also said that Hill is a dynamic individual and has a word that fits well with relevant social issues.

“He, in some ways, is connected to the youth and some of the issues dealing with racial injustice and discrimination issues,” Ma said. “He has been voice that young people recognize.”

Fulton will be speaking at Fieldhouse Arena on Monday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. Ma said that there will be room for everyone who wants to attend. Fulton will also be speaking at Grand Rapids Community College Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m., and again on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. at Davenport University’s Sneden Center.

Hill will be featured on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Kirkhof Center Grand River Room at 4:30 p.m. His program will be simulcast to the DeVos Center Loosemore Auditorium.

Additionally, this will be the third year that GVSU has cancelled classes on MLK day. Springer said this gives students the opportunity to be engaged.

“It’s a day that is worth being a part of because of the knowledge that will be available,” Springer said.

Other events include social justice activities, lectures given by department of education faculty, a day of service and a silent march.

Ma said that the social justice activities are continuing the discussion from 2014’s teach-in. He is hopeful that this discussion will lead into the second teach-in.

“These issues raised here are larger societal issues, so that we welcome people from all races to come out to be able to interact and discuss in a thought-provoking way,” Ma said. “We don’t want to go down a violent path, we have a opportunity where different issues can be raised and discussed.”

Springer said that GVSU is going in the right direction to make the campus more inclusive for everyone. While not perfect, he said, it is becoming a place where everyone can be successful.

“We all have to learn and grown in order to make things the way they are supposed to be,” Springer said. “We have to talk the real life situations that are happening all around us. We can’t be silent. We all have to do our part and share in the conversation.”

For a full schedule of the week’s events, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/mlk/