University hosts annual breakfast, Day of Service, and youth forum to honor King’s legacy.
Gabriella Mateo | Staff Writer
Celebrating his legacy of civil leadership, FIU hosted its 35th Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Commemorative Breakfast on Jan. 16, with Grammy-nominated poet and human rights advocate Kevin Powell as the keynote speaker.
In past years, FIU has had Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., and Illyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X.
Annually, FIU observes the federal holiday through a series of events, including the breakfast, the Day of Service Event, the MLK Parade in Liberty City, the Commemorative Student Dinner and the Robert M. Coatie Youth Forum.
The MLK Day of Service Event was on Jan. 17, as students and staff gathered to give back to local community projects ranging from the Lotus House Women’s Shelter to Crandon Park cleanups.
The Robert M. Coatie Youth Forum will be held on Jan. 21 at the Biscayne Bay Campus. Writer and Miami native, Michael Woodward, Jr., PhD, will be the guest speaker at the event, featuring his children’s novel, King Monte: Are You My P.E. Teacher?.
The Commemorative Celebration Student Dinner will be hosted by the FIU Women’s Center and the Center for Student Engagement on Jan. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Faculty Club. The guest speaker will be Nadege Green, the founder of Black Miami Dade, a former journalist, and Director of Community Research and Storytelling at the Community Justice Project.
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum did not display an MLK exhibit, as it typically does, as they currently have the works of Agustin Fernandez showing until the end of the month. It is on hold until further notice.
Signed into law by President Ronald Regan, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been nationally observed since 1986. Though starting in 2026, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as well as Juneteenth, have been removed from the National Park Service’s annual free-entry days.
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