Whitman & Walla Walla Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Photography by Patrick Record and Yahir Tzec ’25
On Monday, Jan. 20, Whitman College, Walla Walla University and Walla Walla Community College teamed up to offer public events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy. Whitman College students Gelic Jerona ’27 (left), Benitha Tumukunde ’27 (right) and others made posters in the Reid Campus Center before the 2025 Day of Celebration Legacy Walk. “I appreciate what [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.] has done to spotlight ideas that help us grow the world,” Tumukunde said.
Marching for peace and progress. The 2025 Day of Celebration Legacy Walk began at the Reid Campus Center and continued on to the Gesa Power House Theatre for a keynote address.
A limitless lei. Dr. Jace Saplan, Senior Director of Identity and Belonging at Whitman College, delivered a keynote address about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership and the connection between Native Hawaiian communities and the broader Civil Rights and Liberation movement.
Building community. The celebration wrapped up with a community service event at the Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank, assembling backpacks of food for local schoolchildren in need of food on the weekends.