Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Children’s Celebration & Reading in Color

11:00 am - 1:00 pm – Evans Dining Hall
Children of the Lexington and Rockbridge County community are invited to attend a birthday celebration in honor of Dr. King. There will be games, face painting, and arts and crafts. CARE will also be hosting Reading in Color, 30 minute periods of reading for younger children. Cake, snacks and punch will be provided.

Tea Ceremonies

1:00 pm, 1:45pm, & 2:30 pm – Senshin’an Tearoom in Watson Galleries
RSVP Required
Join the W&L Chanoyu Tea Society in honoring the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 19, 2026 with a tea ceremony demonstration. We will also be honoring the 15th generation Grand Tea Master of the Urasenke Tradition, Sen Genshitsu, who passed away in August 2025 at the age of 102. He named the W&L tearoom “Senshin’an” (Clearing-the-Mind Abode) and donated many tea utensils for our tea practice. The tearoom is located in the Watson Galleries.

There will be three 30-minute sessions limited to 20 participants each at 1:00, 1:45, and 2:30 pm. Registration is required for this event. Please fill out a separate registration entry for each member of your party. Since seating is limited to 20 participants per session and there is no automated wait list, be sure to cancel your reservation if your plans change. In the past, registered participants did not show up and prevented others from attending.

Questions about the tea event? Contact Professor Ikeda at ikedaj@wlu.edu.

Questions about making or cancelling a reservation? Contact Robert Forsberg at rforsberg@wlu.edu.

Follow the W&L tearoom on Instagram (@wlutearoom) and Facebook (Chanoyu Tea Society of Washington and Lee University)

• Registration Required

Hillel Service Project

2:00 – 4:00 pm – Hillel House
In honor of Dr. King’s memory, join W&L Hillel for a day of service! We will be assembling care-bags for children in need in Rockbridge County.

Dinner with Blake Morant & Brandon Hasbrouck: MLK & Democracy

6:00 pm – Evans Dining Hall
RSVP Required
Washington and Lee University will celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong series of events, including a dinner with Professors Blake Morant Esq. and Brandon Hasbrouck Esq. where they will share thoughts and conversation on Dr. King’s legacy and impact on democracy. This event is open to the public, and a meal will be provided.

• Registration Required

Liberating Ideas Community Debate

4:30 pm – Northen Auditorium in Leyburn Library
After the passage of landmark civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. shifted his focus to poverty in America. In addition to promoting a Bill of Rights for the Disadvantaged and a guaranteed national income, he embarked on the Poor People’s campaign. In honor of King’s commitment to those he called “the least” in American society, Washington and Lee University will host a debate by Braver Angels that will consider the following resolution: “The future of civil rights should shift from identity politics to economic justice.”

Special Collections Open House

10:00 am - 12:00 pm – Tom Wolfe Reading Room in Leyburn Library
Special Collections and Archives invites the W&L and local communities to our open house in the Tom Wolfe Reading Room where will feature items related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. All are welcome. Visitors are asked to leave food and beverages outside of the reading room.

Art Museum Open House

10:00 am - 2:00 pm – Watson Galleries
Join the W&L Art Museum for a special open house in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Week on Tuesday, January 20, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Watson Galleries. Artworks connected to the Civil Rights movement and African American artistic legacies will be on display, with insights from Wendy Castenell, Assistant Professor of Art History, and Meaghan Walsh, the Louise C. Herreshoff Curatorial Fellow in American Art.

This event is free and open to all.

Image (left): Jar made by David Drake, 1849. Art Museum purchase, 2019.18.1

DeLaney Center Screen to Square Film Series – Rising Hope (2023)

5:30 pm – Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons
Uniting audience members through the acts of viewing a movie, enjoying food, and discussing reactions, the DeLaney Center Screen to Square Film Series helps individuals reflect on their civic duties.

The theme for the 2025-2026 season is “Racial Adversity and Southern Resilience.” On Wednesday, January 21, at 5:30 pm in Washington and Lee’s Stackhouse Theater, we will continue this year’s explorations by showing Rising Hope, a documentary about a community fighting hopelessness in the Mississippi Delta. Following the screening, at approximately 7:10 pm, the film’s director, Theo Avgerinos, will join Dr. Cora Jackson, Rev. Dr. Jason Coker, and Roderious Phillips—a few of the movie’s subjects—for a panel and interactions with attendees.

This event is part of W&L’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. It is free, and all are invited. During the screening, pizza, drinks, and desserts will be served. Please share this news with others who might be interested.

If you have questions, feel free to contact Sandy Sibold at delaneycenter@wlu.edu or 540-458-8027. To learn more about the DeLaney Center and its programming, visit the website.

MLK Shabbat

6:00 pm – Hillel House
RSVP Required
W&L Hillel and Student Engagement and Leadership invite all members of the W&L and Lexington community to join us for a Shabbat dinner and service honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will gather at 6:00 pm in the Hillel Sanctuary. Seating is limited so please register in advance at the link below.

• Registration Required

African Society Fashion Show

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Evans Dining Hall
W&L’s African Society will be hosting their annual African Society Fashion Show and Dance. Come see fashion from all around the continent of Africa and enjoy African inspired dances.

Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Concert

7:00 pm – Wilson Hall in Lenfest Center for the Arts
Join with us as we honor Dr. King’s contributions to America with the wonderful Lexington tradition of the Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Concert. Readings of speeches and poems by Dr. King, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and many others become interspersed with musical reflections performed by the W&L University Singers, Cantatrici, and the Glee Club. No tickets are required.