Ole Miss organizes countywide MLK Day of Service and community events

The University of Mississippi mobilized Oxford and Lafayette County residents for a community-focused Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 11, convening a memorial dinner and keynote address and sending volunteers to projects across the city.

Kenneth Mayfield of the "Ole Miss 8" served as keynote speaker at the memorial dinner that preceded the afternoon of volunteer work. Volunteers checked in at the Jackson Avenue Center and were sent to neighborhood and nonprofit sites for service from noon-5 p.m. As organizers described the flow of the day, "Volunteers will be dispersed to various sites around Oxford for MLK Day of Service."

The Day of Service was the centerpiece of a broader week of events designed to deepen civic engagement and local understanding of civil rights history. Programming included guided tours at the Burns-Belfry Museum, a community reading of Dr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and a screening and discussion of the film Selma. The university also noted plans for the annual MLK march and program on Jan. 15, giving residents multiple entry points to participate and reflect.

For Lafayette County, the coordinated effort brought concentrated volunteer labor and attention to local institutions and neighborhoods. Centralizing check-in at the Jackson Avenue Center allowed organizers to match skills and availability to projects, streamlining deployment across public sites and nonprofit partners. While exact volunteer totals were not released, the structure indicated an emphasis on broad outreach and accessible service windows for families, students and working residents.

The events reinforced the role of the university as a hub for civic programming in Oxford. For nonprofits and community groups, short-term volunteer surges tied to MLK Day offer tangible help with winter maintenance, literacy efforts, and material distribution—work that complements ongoing funding and staffing challenges local organizations face. For volunteers, participation provided hands-on experience with neighborhood needs and a chance to build networks between campus and town.

If you missed Jan. 11 activities, related opportunities remained through the week, including Burns-Belfry Museum tours and the Jan. 15 march and program. For future service days or volunteer coordination, contact the Jackson Avenue Center or the university community engagement office to learn about registration and project needs.

The takeaway? Show up where you can: civic service on campus and around town matters year-round, not just on a holiday. If you want to help, reach out to local partners, pitch in for a shift, and keep the momentum going beyond one weekend.