While MTSU will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the campus community will conduct a candlelight vigil in his honor.

MTSU students gather on the Keathley University Center knoll for a candlelight vigil as part of the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on campus. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

The Office of Intercultural & Diversity Affairs will hold the vigil, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 in the Student Union Ballroom.

This event is free and open to the public.

Derrick Hayes

Derrick Hayes, a motivational speaker and author of “1 WORD is All It Takes,” will deliver the keynote address.

Hayes developed the Wall of Excellence Scholarship and Development Fund at Tennessee State University, his alma mater, which has raised more than $500,000 for students in TSU’s College of Business, according to his website, www.derrickhayes.com.

The evening also will feature musical performances from Don Aliquo, MTSU professor of saxophone and jazz studies, and MTSU’s Generation of Purpose Gospel Choir, and presentations by Alpha Phi Alpha members.

“The vigil serves as an opportunity to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to social activism and the legacy that has inspired us to continue his movement,” said Daniel Green, director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs.

Green said attendees should make note of the venue change from the traditional vigil location at Keathley University Center Theater to the new location inside the Student Union in the second-floor ballroom.

For off-campus visitors seeking directions to the Student Union, a searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

For more information, contact Green at 615-898-5812 or daniel.green@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the Aug. 28, 1963, march on Washington, D.C. MTSU students and others will celebrate King’s memory during a Jan. 16 candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. in the Student Union. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense Archives)