CSU, Fort Collins, Loveland Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The Colorado State University, Fort Collins and Loveland communities will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day with several events on Monday, Jan. 20. This year’s theme is “Is the Dream Fulfilled?”

"In the past 50 years the United States has climbed the mountain of equality Dr. King dreamed of to new heights, but we have still not reached the top," says Blanche Hughes, vice president of CSU’s Division of Student Affairs. "We have to continue to fight ‘isms’ and prejudice in all its forms to realize Dr. King’s dream and America’s promise."

The celebration kicks off at 11 a.m. with the traditional community march from Old Town Square in Fort Collins. Instead of the traditional route to the Lory Student Center, this year’s march will end at the University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St. The march will leave Old Town Square, head south on College Avenue, east on Laurel Street, and proceed south down Remington Street toward the University Center for the Arts.

The march leads to the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, which starts at 11:45 a.m. in the Griffin Concert Hall at the UCA. The event features winners of the Poudre School District essay/poetry contest.

“Loveland Celebrates Diversity Doing What is Right… Right Now!” takes place at 7 p.m. at the Mountain View High School auditorium, 3500 Mountain Lion Drive in Loveland. The event features CSU alumnus Ryan Ross as the keynote speaker. Ross, a community and nonprofit advocate committed to equity, access and transformation, is the president and founder of Stirred Up Enterprises, a motivational speaking and educational services boutique that provides career counseling services, coaching for boards and nonprofits, educational consulting and workshops that focus on serving students of color, leadership and self-actualization. Ross has been coined “Denver’s role Model for Inclusiveness,” received the Denver Business Journal’s prestigious 40 under Forty Award, was named as an African American who makes a difference by the Denver Urban Spectrum, and has received the MLK Humanitarian Award from Colorado’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

Concluding this year’s MLK celebration is the CSU Winter Carnival on Jan. 24 at 6 p.m, in the Durrell Center on campus, featuring musician Rob Drabkin. Colorado native Drabkin’s music blends elements of rock, improvisation and folk.

For more information about this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, visit www.mlkfortcollins.org.

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