[Multimedia note: For more about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., listen to the comments at right of Uni guidance counselor Sam Smith, a member of the U of I's King Commemorative Symposium.]

UNI STUDENTS TRADITIONALLY recognize the third Monday in January as the first day off from school after winter break.

But it's more than that, of course.

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday first observed in 1986 in honor of the slain civil rights leader.

Each year the University of Illinois and other organizations in the Champaign-Urbana area sponsor a series of events celebrating King's legacy.

Uni guidance counselor Sam Smith is a member of the U of I's Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium, which coordinates and facilitates the events.

"We plan a series of activities that involve both the University community and the larger community," Smith said. "I think that the idea of the University serving the larger community is part of the mission of a land-grant institution."

Smith himself will be conducting one of the activities: an interactive workshop on diversity as part of Monday's youth festival at the Illinois Street Residence Hall. (See event calendar below.)

Taking time out of our schedules to reflect on King's vision of a better society is more important than ever, according to Smith.

"I think many students, while they have heard that King said he had a dream, don’t understand the impact and don’t really know his words," Smith said.

King was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He took on the family profession as minister.

As pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., he led the Montgomery bus boycott, which lasted from Dec. 5, 1955, to Dec. 20, 1956, and resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court decision ending segregation on public transport.

In 1957, King helped to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and became a world figure.

He is most remembered for his famous speech in Washington, D.C., "I Have a Dream." He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis four years later at the age of 39.

This year's U of I-sponsored events include a unity breakfast Monday morning followed by the youth festival that Smith will be a part of.

So instead of sleeping in, Uni students have the opportunity to eat some delicious food and learn something new, all while celebrating the reason we won’t have school that day.

SUNDAY, JAN. 20

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration

• 5 p.m., The Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
• Keynote: Fr. Joseph Brown, S.J., Director of the Black American Studies Program, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• Free and open to the public

MONDAY, JAN. 21

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast

• 8:30 a.m., The Vineyard Church, 1500 N. Lincoln Ave., Urbana
• Free and open to the public

Urbana Rotary and Urbana High School Interact — Youth Festival

• 10 a.m., Illinois Street Residence Hall Multipurpose Room, Urbana
• Featuring presentations by:
• Urbana and Mahomet School combined choirs
• Reading of Dr. King's “I have a Dream” speech by Nicholas Lyles, Urbana High School student
• Interactive workshop on diversity, conducted by Sam Smith, Uni High guidance counselor
• Free and open to the public

THURSDAY, JAN. 24

“Voteless People are a Hopeless People”

• 7 p.m., 112 Greg Hall, 810 S. Wright St., Urbana
• University of Illinois Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
• Sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Cultural & Minority Affairs Committee of Illinois Student Senate, College Democrats and College Republicans
• Free and open to the public

SATURDAY, JAN. 26

“PASSING IT ON! Lending a Voice, Sharing a Vision”

• 2 p.m., Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Lobby
• A University of Illinois Family-Friendly Community Event Featuring:
• Omnimov Dancers
• Mo Better Music Ensemble
• UIUC Raas Team
• UC Hip-Hop
• Djibril Camara and the Maragiri Drum and Dance Group
• Cultural Story Tellers
• Essay Contest Presentations (including recognition of three Uni students: Rachel Harmon, Michelle Gao, and Jamie Weiser)
• Classic Events Reception
• Free and open to the public; scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m.