Message sent Jan. 13, 2022
Dear OSU Faculty, Staff and Students,
We write to share an update on OSU’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration events. We learned today that LaTosha Brown, the Celebration’s keynote speaker, will be unavailable to join us on Monday, Jan. 17. The keynote address will be rescheduled to Feb. 17, 2022.
Brown, a co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund and a leading voice on voting rights, is now traveling to Washington, D.C. to provide support for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Senate Leader Chuck Schumer recently announced would come up for debate and be voted on as soon as Monday.
Although the keynote address is postponed, the Peace Breakfast and Peace March will continue as scheduled on Jan. 17, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Several programmatic shifts will be made to the Peace Breakfast to provide an environment for attendees that is as safe as possible given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These shifts will be communicated directly to registrants.
Although Brown cannot join us on Monday, the national impact of her work at this time could not be more important or relevant. The country is engaged in a generational conversation about the importance of voting, voter access and representative democracy. We’re deeply grateful for Brown’s role and voice in this movement.
We will soon communicate details of the rescheduled Feb. 17 event with those who registered for Monday’s event. Community members will also have an opportunity to register for the rescheduled keynote address, which will include the opportunity to attend in person and view online.
We encourage all OSU community members to engage in the many scheduled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Events that begin on Saturday, Jan. 15, with the Day of Service, and run through Friday, Jan. 21. More information about these events can be found here.
Take care and best regards,