Members of the Salem College community and friends of Salem will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and recognize the inauguration of the nation’s 44th president by participating in a symbolic march through downtown Winston-Salem. The walk, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 21, is being coordinated by Salem Professor Krishauna Hines-Gaither as part of her January term course on Dr. Maya Angelou (WMST 220A). Students are enrolled in the course as part of their Jan-term experience.

“We want to recognize Dr. Maya Angelou's leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and her work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Hines-Gaither in her announcement about the event. 

“The walk will be symbolic of the marches that Dr. King and other civil rights leaders organized. We hope many will join us,” she added.

Participants are invited to meet at Salem College’s Main Hall (601 S. Church Street) at 10:30 a.m. The group will walk en masse to the M.C. Benton Convention Center (301 W. 5th Street) for the City’s annual MLK Jr. Commemoration, which begins at 11:30 a.m. This year, the public event will also include a televised viewing of the inauguration of President Barack Obama for his second term.

“Teaching the Dr. Maya Angelou course is one of the great highlights of my career,” says Hines-Gaither. “May the spirit to create a community that is deliberately inclusive and that honors diversity march on with every student, staff, faculty member and administrator who occupies a Salem College desk.”

These events are free and open to the public. For more information about the walk, please contact Professor Krishauna Hines-Gaither at 336-917-5268 or k.hines-gaither@salem.edu. Information about the Benton Center program is available at 336-971-7852, muttermde@aol.com, or www.triadculturalarts.org