The University of Viterbo celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/5WR5XFMGHNGY5CT7KDPAU7D5FI.jpg)
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) – Students at the University of Viterbo returned Monday for the 2022 spring semester, while honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK Day was first recognized in January 1986, and the federal holiday holds a very personal meaning for Viterbo’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Marlene De La Cruz-Guzman.
“The legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is essential for us as people of color to realize that there was a battle that was fought along the way for equal rights, and today we must continue to fight for fairness and justice,” said Cruz-Guzman.
Viterbo uses the day to teach students about Dr. King’s values and how they should be put into practice.
Director of Orientation and Engagement Colin Burns-Gilbert said Viterbo marked MLK Day in 2021 by asking students to volunteer for various nonprofits in La Crosse.
That tradition continued this year, with students and staff participating in projects with Friends of the Blufflands, Karuna Housing, New Horizons and WAFER Food Pantry.
“If we don’t take action and take action to help improve our communities, then we’re not doing as well as we could,” Burns-Gilbert explained. “The more we can be involved in these projects and serve the common good through the people who are already doing these things, the better prepared we will be to advocate down the road.”
Community service is meant to sum up one of Dr. King’s best-known quotes:
“Anyone can be great, because anyone can serve…all you need is a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.
Cruz-Guzman hopes that students will be able to translate these values into their daily lives.
“Service, activism, social justice, inclusion, these are key elements of their training while here at the University of Viterbo,” Cruz-Guzman detailed. “We hope they see this day as an integration of everyone they take with them, that each of them can participate, can be a great leader.”
Viterbo closed the day with a celebration that paid tribute to local community activists.
Copyright 2022 WEAU. All rights reserved.