OSU hosted Martin Luther King Junior Day festivities during the weekend which culminated in the 36th annual peace breakfast. Many people across Corvallis of all ages gathered to make a difference and volunteer their time to show their support.

OSU offered multiple events here on campus during the MLK weekend, starting on Saturday with the volunteer crafting held at the MU, and building bowls in the Craft Center for the Empty Bowls Fundraiser, later ending with the MLK peace breakfast and march on Monday.

Karina Ruiz Lopez, Internal Coordinator at OSU who was present throughout the MLK events, tells of the importance of volunteering by encouraging students to gap the bridge between OSU and the greater Corvallis community.

“It’s just a good way to gain some new skills, meet new people, like like minded people, network, and just to like go out there and enjoy volunteering and give back to the community… Society needs people to be more aware of what’s going on around them, just not what’s happening at school,” Lopez said.

Awards were also given out during the Peace Breakfast to specific individuals who stood out in making a change. Current instructor at OSU, and former major professor and alumni, Linda Marie Richards, explained her work on global nuclear disarmament.

“I work on global nuclear disarmament and that affects everyone, and so having people pitch in and get the word out about how we need to create a new system of security for everyone so we feel safe enough and can give up nuclear weapons, and if we give up nuclear weapons how we can create a world that’s equal and more just… Dr. King in his dream, in his nobel speech he talked about how injustice, poverty and war and nuclear weapons are all linked, and that we need to use nonviolence to escape. So I’m escaping with everyone and that’s why this award means so much to me,” Richards said.

Martin Luther King Junior Day is much more than just a holiday to people. Students and citizens came together to march the streets of OSU, singing and throwing up signs of what they believe in. Brittany Greener, first-year student at OSU, took part in the march on Monday, and strongly speaks of Martin Luther King himself as an amazing man and affected an amazing change.

“I think we need to celebrate this day accordingly. It was a period of trial and it’s still going on today, so we need to work hard to try and accomplish equality, for everybody. And we can’t rest until that is accomplished. And I mean it might take many many years and it’s gonna carry on but I think todays important and I’m happy to be out here and be apart of it,” Greener said.

Martin Luther King Jr Day has held a successful course of events throughout Corvallis.