NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) –As events take place commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, Tennessee State University will join in keeping his legacy alive.
On April 7, TSU will participate in a Joint Day of Service in remembrance of King, who was killed April 4, 1968.
The event with other area higher education institutions was originally scheduled for Jan. 13, but was postponed because of inclement weather.
However, organizers say it’s only fitting that an event keeping his legacy of service alive should take place amid commemoration of his death.
“What better way to commemorate him than by serving others,” said Shirley Nix-Davis, director of outreach for TSU’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement. “One of his quotes is, ‘everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.’”
In addition to performing service projects across Metro Nashville, TSU students will provide more than 10,000 meals for families in need. That project will take place in TSU’s Gentry Complex at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.
Last year, more than 300 TSU students participated in various MLK Day of Service projects around Nashville that included working with kids, assisting elderly residents, packing food and painting.
Linda Tynan, a resident at an independent living apartment complex in La Vergne, Tennessee, said she was grateful for the assistance students provided last year.
“I think it’s terrific to see these students lend a hand to people they don’t even know,” Tynan said. “I appreciated every minute of it.”
For more information about TSU’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/servicelearning/
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With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.