Syracuse University has one of the longest standing celebrations of Martin Luther King Junior in the world, starting before today was a national holiday, but this year the celebration looks different.

Brian Konkol, the dean of Hendricks Chapel, tells Spectrum News the MLK Celebration Dinner this year is not an event you want to miss. Good news is, the push to take the event virtual means even if you're not on campus, you can still be a part of the festivities.

Normally, the event centers around a dinner and presentations from students, community members, and keynote speakers. Last year, it featured newly-elected Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, and this year, the keynote speaker will be activist and civil rights icon Ruby Bridges.

The dinner itself is scheduled for January 31, but since everything is virtual, there will be events leading up to it all next week. Those events include soul food cooking classes over Zoom, a panel with activist and olympian Maya Moore, and a spoken word poetry session, all leading up to the main event.

In speaking with coordinators, they say the MLK Celebration is an important reminder to everyone around the country, but the message hits home here not just on campus, but in Syracuse as a whole. 

"There's a long history both in the communty and on campus for making that time to celebrate Dr. King," said Konkol. "Knowing that he visited our campus twice in the 1960's, but also thinking about how that legacy lives and to play on the theme for this year to recognize that our time has come."

With the event scheduled before students return to campus, organizers say holding it virtually will allow for a much wider audience. Registrations have already come in from overseas and all over the country, which members of the planning committee say will amplify Doctor King's message on a greater scale.

For more information on the celebration or how to register, head to mlk.syr.edu.