January 17th marked the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest men this country has known. Dr. King was a leader of the non-violent African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Each year, instead of limiting the celebration of Dr. King and his legacy to one day, students and groups at UNC-CH choose to honor him for a whole week. To kick of the week, the town of Chapel Hill held its annual march. Other events of the week included a candlelight vigil, numerous speeches (with the keynote speech by Soledad O’Brien), and an oratorical contest.
Children hold a banner in front of the Chapel Hill courthouse before the rally began.
A student performs an interpretive dance in honor of MLK.
A crowd gathers outside of the courthouse for the annual MLK march.
Students light candles by the Old Well in a vigil to MLK.