“Why We Can’t Wait,” the title of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s third book, will serve as the theme of the University of Virginia’s 2022 Community MLK Celebration.
“Dr. King’s message in ‘Why We Can’t Wait’ rings just as true today as it did in 1964,” Kevin McDonald, 鶹ƽ vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and community partnerships, wrote in an email. “As we enter another year of a pandemic that continues to profoundly impact the world and exacerbate the stark disparities in our society, it’s important to remember that we can’t sit idly by. In fact, there’s no better time than the present to be actively engaged in transformational efforts.”
The annual commemoration of the civil rights leader will be held mostly online this year due to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. A series of virtual talks and panel discussions, free and open to the public, are scheduled from the federal holiday on Jan. 17 through the end of the month. The 37th Annual Community Celebration and Worship Service celebrating King’s life will be held virtually on Jan. 23 at 4 p.m.
King’s birthday was Jan. 15, and the third Monday of January was designated as a federal holiday in 1983. This year the holiday falls on Jan. 17, and 鶹ƽ Academic Division will observe the day off.
Events in honor of King’s work also include journalist Yamiche Alcindor as keynote speaker Jan. 27 and a “Community Read” participatory activity inspired by King’s book, followed by an online panel discussion on Jan. 20. In addition, a conference on health disparities will take place Feb. 8. ()
“This year’s Community MLK Celebration brings focus to the urgency of this moment, featuring UVA and community members who make a difference through their scholarship and activism in this community and beyond,” McDonald said. “I’m hopeful that the opportunities to interact with each other this year will lead to the meaningful and swift action needed to create a better future for all of us.”
Community Read Features Free Books and Panel Discussion
Co-sponsored by the UVA Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and New Dominion Bookshop, the second annual “Community Read” program offers free copies of “Why We Can’t Wait.” They are available at the following locations while supplies last: the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Central and Gordon Avenue branches; the New Dominion Bookshop; the Yancey Community Center; and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. (The UVA Multicultural Student Center is already out of books, as are the Northside and Crozet branches of the public library.)

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