University of North Texas

On Jan. 20, UNT will join the country in honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with a birthday party, a march and a community lecture.

The university will be closed that day, but events honoring the civil rights leader begin with “Happy Birthday Dr. King” at at 11 a.m. at Kerr Dining Hall.

The Community Service Honoree Reception will recognize 16 organizations in the UNT Greek Life for their community service efforts at 3 p.m.at the Willis Library, Forum.

Organizations honored include Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Sigma Lamba Beta Fraternity, Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority, theta Kappa Tau, Omega Delta Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Delta Lambda, Kappa Delta Sorority, Kappa Delta Chi, and Chi Omega Fraternity.

The event is sponsored by the Multicultural Center, Greek Life and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

At 4:30 p.m., the public is invited to join a commemorative march from the library mall to the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St. in Denton, where a “Commemoration of Dr. King, A Legacy” begins at 5:30 p.m. Several Denton churches and community groups will take part in a service honoring the civil rights leader. Xavier Henderson, president of the UNT chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, will give a history of King, and Cedric Chamber, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, will deliver a keynote address.

• Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.
• View King's 1963 I Have A Dream speech.

--Matthew Zabel, University Relations, Communications and Marketing

Above, Martin Luther King Jr. meets with President Lyndon Johnson in 1966.