MLK Day

Black Liberation in Higher Education Teach-In Event

Project Mission Statement: The MLK Racial Justice Campus Collaborative designs programming that celebrates the history and narratives of Portland’s Black community during and around Martin Luther King Day -- the only national holiday committed to a Black leader. The work of the Civil Rights Movement is far from over; we support community-based programming that centers ongoing narratives of Black activism, creativity, and liberation.

Acknowledging that our society’s institutions and systems are inherently white supremacist and anti-Black, how do we hold institutions accountable, and collectively dismantle systems of oppression and inequity? What does institutional accountability mean? Furthermore, how can we seek liberation through Black epistemologies and ways of being?

Event statement: This year’s event will focus on the history, theory, and practice of abolition, with the understanding that white supremacy suppresses social imagination; Black people liberate themselves. Rooted in Black/African Diasporic feminisms, abolition has defined anti-oppression, anti-colonial, and anti-racist organizing nationally and globally. In keeping with the abolitionist tradition, this event seeks to create a space where Black community activists can convene to envision a world liberated from white supremacy, colonialism, and racism.

Our goal is to create a beloved community and
this will require a qualitative change in our souls
as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Day 2022

History and Development

For years, Campus Compact of Oregon observed MLK Day through a day of service organized by a collaborative of Campus Compact of Oregon member campuses. In an effort to align the event more closely with our organizational values, we partnered with Portland Community College to evaluate the event and envision more intentional programming. Thank you to all our partner organizations and community partners that supported the effort to envision more intentional programming.