USC is celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. during a week of service and reflection.
The MLK celebration, a week of events in the late civil rights leader's honor, has been a tradition at USC for more than 30 years. The events began on Jan. 17 and will continue through Jan. 25.
The National Black Law Student Association hosted the first event Thursday. The event featured the screening of “I Am Somebody,” a documentary focused on hospital workers that went on strike in Charleston, SC.
The annual Social Justice award recipients will be recognized at a commemorative breakfast at The Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:30 a.m. on Jan 18. Zenith Houston, the director of The Posse Foundation in Atlanta, will be a guest speaker. The breakfast will be at The Zone at Williams-Brice at 7:30 a.m.
The MLK Day of Service will take the place of Service Saturday. Organized by the Leadership and Service Center, the day begins at Davis Field on Jan. 19 at 8:30 a.m., and students will leave from there to go to different service sites.
Freedom Rings is an annual event featuring excerpts from King's “The Beloved Community” speech, gospel performances and more music and theater performances. This will take place in the Booker T. Washington Auditorium on Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.
On Jan. 21, the South Carolina NAACP and USC Leadership and Service Center representatives will participate in King Day at the Dome, an annual march to the South Carolina Statehouse. Members of the Carolina community are invited to attend.
The Arc of South Carolina, the Best Buddies Organization and the Leadership and Service Center also will host a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making competition on Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. Sandwiches made during the competition will be brought to the 153 Project, a local organization that serves meals to those in need.
From Jan. 21-25, the Gamecock Pantry will be having a drive where food items, toiletries and school supplies can be donated. Donations can be dropped off at the Leadership and Service Center – Russell House 227 – or the Gamecock Pantry, located in the McBryde residence hall.