Alaska Civil Rights and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
by Jessica Young & Wendy Goldstein |
PWSC will be closed in observance of Alaska Civil Rights and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 17.
UA students have embraced the holiday and held events on campuses since its designation
in 1983 by Ronald Reagan. During that time it was called by several names in Alaska,
such as “University of Alaska Civil Rights Day,” “Alaska Civil Rights Day/Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Holiday." The holiday stayed alive and well in Alaska due in part
to the advocacy of university students throughout the state.
Finally in 2019, Governor Dunleavy proclaimed it an official holiday in Alaska, not
just a national one. In his proclamation, the governor stated, "Dr. King’s words and
actions are not simply relics of an era past, but a call to vigilance, as pertinent
today as they were during his lifetime, and it is incumbent upon us all to carry forward
the principles of peace, equality, and service exemplified by Dr. King, by treating
everyone with the same great measure of courtesy, dignity, and respect"