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 the 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.”

Classes are not in session on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as they have been in years past. The day will instead be filled with educational opportunities for students and faculty. Students will participate in service projects, take training to become mentors in violence prevention and/or choose from many different academic seminars on racial justice, bias, inequality and more.

Mike Regan Jr. will deliver a keynote address titled “The Journey Continues: Athlete Activism and the Fight for Social Justice.” Regan is an interdisciplinary lecturer and scholar, serving as an adjunct professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Sociology at California State University, East Bay. Through his primary academic strengths and interests, as a researcher and lecturer viewing and analyzing society through a critical social justice lens, he strives to shed light on social issues and inspire others to contribute to social change.

The day will conclude with a vigil at the Peace Pole located on south Geisler lawn. The pole, installed in 2006, is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Peace Poles are the most recognized international peace symbol and monument, with more than 200,000 Peace Poles standing in more than 190 countries.