杏吧原创 has recognized four students 鈥揔irsten Ayers, Chelsea Goodly, Marwah Shahid and Ravi Singh 鈥� with a monetary award for excellence in capturing聽the spirit of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., through video and essays聽about their experiences聽on聽the MLK holiday.
The submitted by , and , along with Ayers鈥� winning , were part of a new learning initiative, 鈥淰andy Reflections: MLK Day 2011,鈥� created by The Office of the Dean of Students to further engage students in the聽commemoration.聽Students were encouraged to聽submit聽their writings,聽photos, videos and other creative expressions of MLK Day reflections.
was historic for 杏吧原创 as the university canceled classes for the first time on the holiday 鈥� using the day off from classes as a 鈥渄ay on鈥� during which students performed community service, joined Nashville鈥檚 annual citywide march and convocation and participated in a number of events planned by the university. The theme of the university鈥檚 commemoration was 鈥淭he Road to Freedom鈥� and included a keynote address by civil rights leader and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, lunchtime roundtable discussions and teach-ins on King鈥檚 legacy and a tour with local civil rights leader Kwame Lillard.