YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan University is spending the entire week honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK Day falls on Monday, Jan. 15, but the university thought the civil rights icon deserved more recognition from students and the Ypsilanti community than just one day.
“We wanted to focus on beyond a day, because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was committed to justice, his courage, and he didn’t stop for one day,” said Dr. Doris Fields, interim associate provost and associate vice president of academic programs at EMU.
Festivities start Monday, on the national holiday, with the opening of a gallery in the student center. Inside are photos of the Detroit Walk to Freedom and other local stops King made during his visit.
The gallery opening will also incorporate the unveiling of a mosaic made by EMU biology professor and artist Aaron Liepman using Lego Bricks.
“This particular piece was created using about 30,000 hand-painted Lego,” Liepman said.
He’s made two other pieces honoring the civil rights leader, including one in the Ann Arbor District Library. The new one, “The Walk to Freedom,” took Liepman six months to create. It’s intended to engage people of all ages.
“If that draws kids in and they say, ‘Wow, look, this is made of Lego,’ and that may allow them to start asking questions and talking to parents, caregivers about what is the meaning of this image,” Liepman said.
The week continues with community service, public performances, and on Wednesday, discussions with leaders like Edith Lee-Payne. She was 11 years old when she was part of the Walk to Freedom.
“I knew why we were there, I was excited, very excited, to see Dr. King, because I had of course seen him on TV and saw him in magazines. I just loved hearing him speak,” Lee-Payne said.
The Detroit native would see him again, two months later at the March on Washington where a famous photo of her was taken. That photo is also in EMU’s gallery.
“It’s extremely special for me to share the experience of marching with him twice, but also being involved with civil rights my entire adult life,” Lee-Payne said.
She hopes that whoever attends the event can see the depth of King and the Civil Rights Movement.
“It wasn’t just about speeches, ‘I Have a Dream’, it was so much more than that. As an individual, they can make a difference in their community, in their home, in their church, wherever, respectfully and peacefully,” Lee-Payne said.
The gallery opening is a private event and is only open for a week. After that, the mosaic piece will be moved to a permanent location on campus.
The annual MLK Jr. Walk to Freedom was canceled due to the weather.
A full schedule of events is available on EMU’s website here.