Campus News

'Behind the Blue': Honoring the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. With Kendriana Price and Jay Alexander

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 14, 2022) — Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, marks the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday that honors the birth, life and dream of Martin Luther King Jr., and is also the only national holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage Americans to volunteer for opportunities to improve their communities in a variety of ways.

Here in Lexington, this year’s celebration will include a Freedom March and a virtual program directly following, featuring special guest U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Dr. King’s Beloved Community 2022: Facing A Time of Reckoning in An Age of Denial.”

On this episode of "Behind the Blue," two members of the Lexington-Fayette MLK Holiday Celebration Committee discuss the work that has gone into planning this year’s event. Kendriana Price, assistant director of diversity for the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, talks with Meg Mills and Jenny Wells-Hosley, and Jay Alexander, the programming and music director for WBTF-FM in Lexington, speaks with Steve Shaffer and Ryan Girves.

If you’re interested in more information regarding the Lexington-Fayette Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday Program, visit http://uky.edu/mlk. The parade will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 17, with lineup beginning at 9 a.m. at the Lexington Central Bank Center in Exhibit Hall C. The program following the Freedom March will now be VIRTUAL ONLY, beginning at noon on YouTube. You can watch the stream live by clicking here.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of "Behind the Blue" can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

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As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

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