Universities will hold online events examining race for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

With few in-person events for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the University of Idaho and Washington State University will hold virtual addresses to remember King’s legacy, according to the schools’ websites.

WSU is holding over 30 events to honor King, all listed on the school’s Martin Luther King Program page.

For WSU’s keynote address, the school is hosting activist Newsome Bass, known for when she was arrested after removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house grounds in 2015, according to WSU’s event description.

At UI, Edward Onaci, UI associate professor of History and African American and Africana Studies, will give the keynote address for the UI’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Thursday, also via Zoom, according to the site.

The address by the professor and book author will examine “the new Afrikan independence movement” and its consequences, the site says.

Tuesday via Zoom, Russell Meeuf of the School of Journalism will explore “white resentment” that arose after the election of the first Black president, according to the announcement. The talk will analyze how popular movies reflected cultural shifts, the website says.

Friday, as part of WSU’s Cultural Arts and Equity Hip Hop Series, rap activist Aisha Fukushima will perform and lecture via Zoom.

Keneshia Grant, an associate professor of political science at D.C.’s Howard University, will discuss her research focused on state and local governments and Black voters on Jan. 26 at 1 p.m., streamed live on YouTube.