KU News Release

KU to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with luminaria walk

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 22, with a luminaria walk on Jayhawk Boulevard.

“This is a great opportunity for the KU community to come together and reflect on the accomplishments of Dr. King,” said Santos Núñez, program director of the Multicultural Resource Center.

The luminaria walk will begin at 6:30 p.m. in front of Strong Hall. Participants will walk along Jayhawk Boulevard, reflecting on King’s legacy. The evening will end in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union with a special performance by the Inspirational Gospel Voices and featured speaker Walter M. Kimbrough.

Kimbrough is president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. Previously, he was vice president for student affairs at Albany State University in Albany, Ga. He was one of the youngest chief student affairs officers in Georgia and nationwide.

Kimbrough earned a bachelor’s in agriculture from the University of Georgia, a master’s from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. He was a member of the Zeta Phi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at the University of Georgia and the southern region assistant vice president and member of the board of directors for the fraternity.

He has a long history of professional, community and civic involvement and has forged a national reputation as an expert on historically black fraternities and sororities. He is the author of “Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities.” He has conducted interviews with national news outlets, including the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine. A nationally recognized speaker and lecturer, Kimbrough has given presentations at more than 90 universities and 75 conferences.

“The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Multicultural Resource Center are proud of honoring and presenting to the University of Kansas one of the most prominent members of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Robert N. Page Jr., director of Office of Multicultural Affairs. “The Martin Luther King Jr. program will showcase the dreams, aspirations and goals of this great civil rights leader.”

The Multicultural Resource Center was established in 1995 to promote an educational environment that recognizes and celebrates the diverse composition of the Lawrence campus population. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 15, but because the spring semester does not begin until Friday, Jan. 19, KU’s events marking the holiday were moved to Jan. 22.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.