Where Do We Go From Here: Community or Chaos?

More than 50 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the question still surfaces: Where Do We Go From Here: Community or Chaos? That’s the central question touched on by LaTosha Brown, the keynote speaker for Lane Community College’s annual celebration of King’s life on Jan. 15, his birthday. Brown is the co-founder of the Black Votes Matter campaign and is a fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

On Jan. 20, the observed holiday honoring King’s life and legacy, the annual local MLK Jr. March begins at 9 am at the North Gate of Autzen Stadium. The march ends at The Shedd with an hour-long program that features local guests and the presenting of the City of Eugene Human Rights Award.

Oregon State University’s annual celebration for King also is Monday, Jan. 20. The keynote speaker is Raquel Willis, a black queer transgender activist who also is a writer and executive editor of Out Magazine. Willis also has founded Black Trans Circles, a project of the Transgender Law Center. OSU’s celebration includes a peace breakfast and a peace march that ends at the Memorial Union.

LaTosha Brown keynotes the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 5 to 7 pm at the LCC Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19. FREE. The annual Eugene MLK Jr. march is Jan. 20. Meet at the North Gate of Autzen Stadium at 9 am. FREE. Raquel Willis keynotes the Oregon State University MLK celebration from 11 am to noon, Jan. 20, at the Austin Auditorium in the LaSells Stewart Center on the OSU campus. FREE

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

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