The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will participate in two Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service events on Monday, Jan. 17, to honor the civil rights leader’s life, legacy and service.
MLK Day of Service, a federal holiday observed annually on the third Monday in January, was designated in 1994 to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. All UTC offices will be closed that day in commemoration of the holiday.
The City of Chattanooga’s Department of Equity and Community Engagement is collaborating with the UTC Office of Multicultural Affairs, River City Co., the NAACP, Scenic Cities Beautiful Commission, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and the Unity Group of Chattanooga on a donation drive to benefit the following organizations:
- ArtsBuild seeks assorted art supplies and specific books on MLK and change making.
- Chattanooga Community Kitchen and the Maclellan Shelter For Families need hand warmers, ponchos, travel/trial-size shower and shaving supplies, individual coffee creamers, sugar/sweetener packets and high-efficiency laundry detergent.
- Patten Towers is asking for new or gently worn, clean clothing for men and women.
- Whiteside Faith Manor needs toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, disinfectant wipes and disposable masks.
Donations can be dropped off at Chattanooga City Hall, 101 East 11th St. The donation drive is a rain-or-shine event and will take place from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
The UTC Office of Multicultural Affairs also is co-sponsoring a virtual MLK Memorial Scholarship Breakfast with Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Titled “Equity, Diversity and Opportunity: If Not Now, When?” the Zoom program, which is open to the public, will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Program panelists include Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Yancy Freeman, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Engagement Stacy Lightfoot, New United Missionary Baptist Church pastor Jeffrey Wilson and Hamilton County Department of Education District 5 school board member Karitsa Mosley Jones.
In addition to Day of Service programming, the University will host a celebration event—UTC MLK Day 2022—on Friday, Jan. 28. The virtual program will feature a moderated conversation and a Q&A session. Speaker information will be announced closer to the event date.