Spartans honor the life, legacy of MLK with service

Over 150 Spartans completed nearly 470 hours of service last Saturday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy as part of this year’s MLK Day of Service.

This marked the 12th year that Spartans have taken time to serve and reflect on King’s work, despite the pandemic causing the event to look different than in typical years. Students volunteered safely in small, socially-distanced, masked groups at sites on and near campus, cleaning up the Downtown Greenway, preparing literacy kits for children in the Reading Connections family literacy program, and more.

The event, organized by UNCG’s Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement (OLCE), is one of two annual, campus-wide days of service.

“MLK Day of Service gives students the opportunity to serve their communities as a way to honor Dr. King’s legacy and the many individuals who have built on his work,” said Emily Koester, OLCE’s Hunger Capacity Coordinator AmeriCorps VISTA. “While COVID-19 forced us to limit the number of volunteers, the students were still able to make a big impact through service.”

Amara Shobe, a senior biology major, served as a site leader at Wesley-Luther Community Gardens, Community Gardens, facilitating a small group of student volunteers, building planter boxes, and preparing the garden for spring. 

“I wanted to participate because as a Black woman myself, it’s very important to me to give back to my community to honor Dr. King and show the importance of his legacy, which inspires hope in the Black men and women of the nation,” said Shobe.

To learn more about service opportunities at UNCG, visit olce.uncg.edu.

Story by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
Videography by Grant Evan Gilliard, University Communications