Jan 16, 2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 16, 2025) – For over 50 years, the city of Lexington, Kentucky, has honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with one of the longest-running celebrations in the country. This year, thousands of community members will come together once again to reflect on Dr. King's vision for racial equality, social justice and service to others —values that remain as relevant today as they were during his lifetime.
The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encompasses influential decisions, monumental actions and steadfast progressions of humanitarian rights that reach far beyond the civil rights movement. A leader of all people, Dr. King never chose fear but always chose courage and determination when fighting for civil rights in the face of oppression, ignorance and violence - providing a model for how we still must work to combat inequality today.
This year’s theme, “Where do we go from here?” emphasizes where we are today and where we need to go. A message the Lexington MLK Day committee believes to be more pertinent than ever.
Ja’Mahl McDaniel, director of UK’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, joins this episode of Behind the Blue to talk about his work with the MLK Day planning committee, how the program adapted to honor the loss of Nikki Giovanni, the importance of student involvement in the Lexington community, and more.
Behind the Blue is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.
Behind the Blue is a joint production of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.
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