The University of Richmond’s 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration began Monday and spans the first weeks of the spring semester. This year’s theme — "We cannot walk alone" — is the focus of a number of events and community conversations.

In his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, King said: “We cannot walk alone, and as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

“Collective action defined the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and there are countless other examples of moments when citizens have come together to make their needs known and enact change that makes our world better for all,” said Sylvia Gale, executive director for Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, which oversees the programming.

The Bonner Center, along with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and VPM, held an online screening and panel discussion for the documentary Mending Walls, exploring the importance of sharing stories and listening before taking civic action. And a series of quotes from MLK and other leaders are posted around campus and the lake for the community to enjoy through Jan. 21.

UR also held a virtual discussion focusing on the legacy of Wyatt Tee Walker. Boatwright Memorial Library is home to the Dr. and Mrs. Wyatt Tee Walker Collection. Walker served as chief strategist for King, who hailed him as “one of the keenest minds of the nonviolent revolution.”  The discussion was led by Taylor McNeilly, processing and reference archivist at Boatwright Memorial Library, along with leadership studies professor Thad Williamson and Betty Neal Crutcher, who taught a course about Walker in the fall. 

In March, Kevin LaMarr Jones, a 1994 graduate, will collaborate with campus community members as they explore dance and musical forms from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the United States. Jones founded the Richmond-based dance company, CLAVES UNIDOS (United Rhythms) with a mission to unite “the African diaspora through dance.” This series of workshops will culminate in a special gathering with music by DJ Mike Street, a 1992 Spider grad.

“We are embracing our MLK celebration,” Gale said, “as a time to invite our community to reflect on how we are meeting the challenges of our time.”