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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University will hold its 35^th annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a series of events to be held from Saturday, Jan. 14, through Friday, Jan. 20.

The celebration includes a keynote address on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday that is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a peace march.

The Peace Breakfast will be held in a new location and is limited to OSU students, faculty, staff and their invited guests. The breakfast is free but attendees must register before the event.

Organizer Scott Vignos, director of strategic initiatives with the Office of Institutional Diversity at Oregon State, said the celebration seeks to carry forward King's legacy through collaborative learning and actions.

"We want the OSU community to learn about and reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King and collaboratively envision ways to carry his message of transformative change forward in a way that is relevant in today's context," Vignos said.

This year's keynote speaker is Franchesca Ramsey, an actor, comedian, writer, activist and a leading voice at the confluence of pop culture and social justice education. She hosts the popular Decoded series on MTV News and was a writer and regular contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central. Ramsey's work explores race, ethnicity, gender and culture by using comedy as a vehicle for activism and learning. Ramsey has been featured on MTV, in the New York Times, NPR, Ebony Magazine and the BBC.

The keynote address will be held in The LaSells Stewart Center from 11 a.m. to noon on Jan. 16. A peace march starting from The LaSells Stewart Center and ending at the Student Experience Center Plaza will begin at 12:30 p.m. The keynote address and peace march are free and open to the public; no registration is required.

This year's Peace Breakfast will take place in the CH2M HILL Alumni Center from 9-10:30 a.m. on Jan. 16. The event is free to members of the OSU community but advance registration is required; the deadline is Jan. 10. Oregon State community members who would like to register for the Peace Breakfast can do so here: http://bit.ly/2iAQzWR.

A variety of other events related to the holiday will be held throughout the week. For a complete list of events see: http://leadership.oregonstate.edu/diversity/events-and-initiatives/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-celebration.