Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast 2010
In January 1995, Dr. Lawrence J. Hanks, former dean of Afro-American Affairs and current professor of Political Science, conceived and hosted Indiana University’s first Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Breakfast. A January 15, 1997 IU News Release noted:
“Lawrence J. Hanks, dean
of Afro-American Studies [sic] at IU, proposed the idea for an IU-Bloomington
Martin Luther King Jr. birthday observance two years ago after noticing
the absence of any campus celebration in 1994. ‘It’s important
for the IU community to focus on the ideals of Martin Luther King,’
said Hanks. ‘I saw the omission in 1994, and I wanted to launch
something university-sponsored that approaches the theme from a scholarly
perspective.’”
Dean Hanks created the MLK essay competition to ensure this “scholarly
perspective” of Dr. King’s life and ministry among IUB students.
This news release further noted:
“The essays are dedicated to the intellectual significance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, ideas and ideals, and were written and submitted by IU students during the winter break.”
Indiana University’s 2009 MLK Day celebration is clearly nourished by the vision espoused by Dean Hanks when he told an IU reporter: “It’s important for the IU community to focus on the ideals of Martin Luther King [because]. . . Martin Luther King Day is an American holiday, and when the university sponsors it, that’s the message that gets across.”
*Information for this essay was provided by the IU Archives.*
