Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day, honoring the most famous figure from the battle for racial equality in the 1950s and 60s in the United States.

Central College students and faculty will honor his spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work with activities this week. King visited campus in March of 1967, an important milestone in the history of the campus.

Mary Lubbers Montgomery is the daughter of then-Central President Arend “Don” Lubbers, who invited King to campus. Montgomery was eight years old at the time.

“I remember waiting impatiently for him to arrive at our home, and when he finally arrived, of course my brothers and I were instructed to use our manners and how to act and how to introduce yourself to someone or greet someone,” Montgomery says. “So I stuck out my hand as Dr. King came through the door, and I was mesmerized, of course, seeing him.”

Faculty will facilitate an in-class experience today, where students will share their dreams for 2021 alongside a display commemorating King in the Maytag Student Center. Imagery and a quote slideshow of King will be presented on the Campus Life Channel.

Students will have the opportunity to tie fleece blankets for the Care Bags Foundation, a nonprofit organization based out of Newton, as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service activity Thursday. Supplies will be available for pick up for individual students and small groups who are interested in participating to ensure proper safety protocols.

Lastly, Central will host “What They Didn’t Teach You in History Class – America’s Hidden True Black History” with Fred Saffold III during a virtual event at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. The presentation is free and open to the public. To register, visit thecollege.fun/CENTRALspeak. Saffold will use historic artifacts, documents and photographs to bridge connections from the past to the 21st century