The university hosted its 27th annual MLK Day of Learning Monday, Jan. 15, during which students, faculty and community members gathered to remember the legacy of civil rights activist Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The day started with a community gathering at 8 a.m. in the Capital Center, followed by a procession to Mees Hall at 9 a.m. for the day’s convocation. The convocation included performances by Capital’s chapel choir and the Voices of Praise gospel choir. The main event of the convocation was keynote speaker Herman Boone. 
Boone became the head coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team, the Titans, in 1971 as part of the integration of three high schools in Alexandria, Virginia. Boone was appointed to the position over the popular former head coach Bill Yoast, which angered Yoast’s supporters. Despite their differences, Boone and Yoast led the Titans to the state championship, while also teaching their community to put aside their intolerance in the name of football. This story is documented in the Disney movie “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington as Boone.
Boone’s keynote speech focused on the significance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s work within the civil rights movement. He called on those at the event to do more than have a day off for MLK Day, but to “take a day on” to observe the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and dreams of the future. Boone said he was lucky enough to have met King before his death, and thinks that King would be proud of where we’ve come, but that there’s still more work to do.
President Paul also gave a speech during the convocation that related the Capital community, #CapFam, to the “beloved community” King talked about, which sophomore biology major Emily Simonton found profound.
“I think our campus embodies what MLK said all those years ago,” Simonton said. “If we can achieve [beloved community] on a smaller scale, there’s no reason why we can’t work toward systematic change in our country as a whole.”
Although many universities give students the day off of classes for MLK Day, Capital has been hosting a Day of Learning for 27 years. Each year the event, which is open to the public, focuses on a different aspect of King’s teachings and beliefs. This year’s theme was “The Power of We: Advancing Human Dignity.”
In addition to the keynote speaker, the event included workshops focused on this year’s theme from an array of angles. The workshops were led by students, faculty and informed community members and were on topics including a Q & A with Herman Boone, financial aid planning, and immigration and DACA.
Katherine Bustos, a senior psychology major, said the DACA workshop she attended was effective in including other marginalized groups.
“I like how [the facilitator] tried to link different minority groups to what happened during the civil rights movement,” Bustos said. “[The facilitator] explained that the immigration problems we have today are like modern day segregation.”
While it is not required that students attend the event, many professors encourage students to use their day off to listen to the featured speaker and attend workshops.
