Milledgeville March to Honor MLK Jr. | Community Spirit

Georgia College and the Milledgeville community will celebrate civil rights advocate Dr. Martin

 Luther King Jr.’s legacy during local gatherings, lectures and a march during MLK Day 2013.

Held Monday, Jan. 21, through Friday, Feb. 8, the three-week campus event themed “Bridging the Gap” connects past, present and future generations to King’s legacy of community service and social justice.

“The overall goal during our three-week celebration is to bring a true sense of unity between our campus and local community in the spirit of Dr. King’s dream,” said Emmanuel Little, Georgia College’s diversity coordinator in the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. “We also aim to make a positive impact on others’ lives through food and book drives this year to benefit our local area. It’s important for everyone to realize that the ‘dream’ is real, but it will never truly come to fruition without unified action toward a common cause.”

The campus and community celebrations coincide with the national observance of MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 21.

Locally, the community will hold its annual MLK Day march and parade at noon Monday, Jan. 21, beginning at Huley Park and ending at Flagg Chapel Baptist Church. 

Throughout the march, students from Georgia College’s Department of English and Rhetoric will deliver excerpts from Dr. King’s speeches.

That same day, a tribute service will take place at 1 p.m. at Flagg Chapel with keynote speaker Dr. Richard Ramsey, who holds more than 30 years as an educator and serves as founder of club Lifelong Solutions for Male Students. Ramsey will speak about the value of education and sacrifices the civil rights generation made in order for future generations to succeed.

At 2 p.m. a community cookout at Huley Park will offer food, music, community vendors and an opportunity for dialogue about social justice issues through a panel discussion.

Georgia College also will sponsor both a food and book drive through Friday, Feb. 8, to support The Twin Lakes Library System, Baldwin State Prison and Baldwin County’s only soup kitchen, Café Central.

Drop-off points for non-perishable goods and gently used books include the following locations on campus: Cultural Center at the Smith House, Sandella’s on West Campus, Library & Instructional Technology Center and The MAX dining hall on main campus.

For the food drive only, student organizations, campus departments and community organizations that bring the most goods will receive a $200 catering certificate from Sodexo. Competing groups must drop off goods by Friday, Feb. 8, between 1 and 3 p.m. at The Max.

“For 2013, we’re creating new opportunities for the campus and local community to connect and learn about Dr. King’s passion to unite people of all colors,” said Little. “We’re continuing our food drive for non-perishable goods from last year and adding the book drive to support our community through literacy.”

For more information, call 478-445-8155.