The Ohio University Southern Campus Council on Diversity and Inclusion is having a special program at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to honor the legacy of slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The program theme, Be the One: Beginning the Conversation on Healing and Change, brings together various speakers who share words from Dr. King’s speeches during the Civil Rights Era, contrasting that with recent events involving conflicts and police that have raised tensions and sparked protests across the United States.

Among the highlights of the hour-long program are video presentations, interactive discussions, and interpretive dance.

This year also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March that took place on March 7, 1965, in Montgomery, Alabama, where 600 protesters were physically assaulted by law enforcement officers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. It ended peacefully nearly three weeks later with 25,000 people converging at the state capitol steps to hear the King deliver one of his iconic speeches. That event led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The program will be in the Bowman Auditorium of the Collins Center building. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Robert Pleasant in the office of student services at 740-533-4600.