Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Week

About the Event

Ashland University is holding a Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Week, a week full of events bringing students, faculty, staff and the Ashland community together for service, conversation and fellowship while commemorating the American civil rights leader. Staff from AU’s Center for CommUNITY and Belonging are coordinating the celebration, and the events are open to the public.

On MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 20, AU students will be volunteering from 8:30 a.m.-noon, with a number of community partners. The student-led organization AU GIVS (Ashland University Gets Involved with Volunteer Service) is coordinating the day’s service activities, and students can sign up to help here.

The evening of MLK Day, AU will welcome Rickey Bolden, a visionary leader and member of the AU Board of Trustees who will present a keynote speech about his unifying work as a Brethren pastor and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. It will take place at the Student Center Auditorium inside the Hawkins-Conard Student Center at 6 p.m.

Bolden grew up in a single-parent home and violent environment in Dallas, Texas, but escaped by earning a football scholarship to Southern Methodist University. He excelled there and went on to play for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns for seven seasons. During his time as a professional athlete, he responded to God’s calling, enrolled in Ashland Theological Seminary and retired to pursue full-time ministry. After graduating from the seminary, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he has spent the bulk of his career in various roles as a pastor and community leader. Bolden currently serves there with Discipleship Work, which mentors underserved youth, and he also hosts weekly Bible studies with a number of Congressmen.

For more information, contact Alex Hill, director of the Center for CommUNITY and Belonging, at ahill13@ashland.edu or 419-207-6325.

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