Welcome to your Friday Early Bird, highlighting the best of Metropolitan State University of Denver through weekly images. Check back each Friday to see MSU Denver through a different lens.

 

This week, the MSU Denver community honored Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in Denver’s 37th annual Marade on Monday and gathering on Jan. 14 at the University’s MLK Peace Breakfast, which recognizes the Roadrunners keeping King’s dream alive through their contributions to peace, justice and social change. At the MLK Peace Breakfast, keynote speaker Brother Jeff Fard reflected on this year’s theme, “Overcoming the pandemic of racism,” by highlighting major health disparities among Black, Latino and American Indian/Alaskan populations. Fard called for the adoption of intersectional lenses to address systemic failure and noted the critical role that educators have in continuing King’s work. Additionally, the entire campus community is encouraged to tune in to a virtual conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones today at 11 a.m. The Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and staff writer at the New York Times Magazine will speak about the importance of truth, history and the legacy of King.

To see the MLK Peace award winners and learn more about Fard’s speech, read the full story in RED.