If there ever was a need to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is now. In the past year, protesters at marches throughout Eugene and the U.S. have called for abolishing the police and reminded us that Black Lives Matter. Several events in the community are being held to continue King’s legacy of civil rights. On Thursday, Jan. 14, Lane Community College kicks the celebration off with a keynote address by Dr. Robert Bullard, who’s known as the “father of environmental justice” for exposing racial disparities related to pollution and other factors. The virtual event is free and runs from 5:30 to 7:30 pm; visit LaneCC.edu to access the Zoom link. On Monday, Jan. 18, civil rights activist Angela Davis is the keynote speaker at Oregon State University’s virtual 39th annual event commemorating King, which runs 9:30 to 10:30 am; free, visit Diversity.Oregonstate.edu to register. Davis has done extensive research on issues related to race, gender and prisons. Her lecture should be relevant for those seeking to abolish the police and prisons, since she’s the founding member of Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industrial complex. On Monday, Jan. 18, in Eugene, the Eugene-Springfield NAACP has a drive-by rally from 9 to 10:30 am at Serbu Juvenile Center as well as a live streamed event 9 to 10 am and a virtual event 11:30 am to 1 pm; for more information, find the event on Facebook. So get out there and celebrate King and the fight he led for social and economic justice.

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