The Office of Community & Belonging would like to formally invite you to our 2026 MLK Celebration! We have a lot in store for you so it’s time to get excited!
Thursday, January 15th, 11am-2pm- UNITY Fest at the Plaza of the Americas - This event will be a carnival-style event to celebrate the Life of Dr. King with food, fun, and games and a Dream Wall!
Monday, January 19th, All Day - Day of Service, hosted by the Brown Center for Leadership & Service - Join fellow UF student volunteers and partnering community members for a day of reflection and service in the local Gainesville community. Learn about service opportunities in Gainesville, meet new people, build awareness around varying perspectives, complex issues, and communities!
Tuesday, January 20th, 11am-1pm, Community Brunch at the Reitz Union Student Engagement Portal (2nd Floor) - Good food, great people, stronger community — all in one brunch! This event will be a drop in style event where students can come and enjoy breakfast while reflecting on the work and ideals of Dr. King
Thursday, January 22nd, 5pm Speaker: Dr. Kathi Earles, hosted by Bob Graham Center for Public Service & the African American Studies Program, Pugh Hall Ocora - Dr. Earles is a highly respected speaker, author and educator on pediatric obesity and diabetes, and has a particular interest in health disparities impacting minority communities. During this event, she will be speaking on health disparities within the nation and how Dr. King fought for justice in healthcare.
Friday, January 23rd, 6:30pm, Longest Table Event, Honors Village Lawn - Where every seat brings us closer together. This event aims to bring together students, UF faculty & staff, and Gainesville community members to come together and learn from each other while connecting and networking.
Month Long Engagement- Canned Food Drive - Dr. King believed that hunger is a moral failure of society, one we should not be facing as a nation. In accordance with this ideology, we will be having a canned food drive from January 16th to February 6th with collection taking places at the Office of Community & Belonging (2nd Floor of the Reitz Union), Institute of Black Culture, and Institute of Hispanic/Latinx Cultures.
If you have any questions about the celebration, please reach out to Satcha Sanon at satcha92@ufl.edu!