Wednesday, April 4, 2018 marks 50 years since the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. To honor Dr. King, Appalachian will join campuses, places of worship and municipalities across the nation in a ceremonial bell-tolling. At 7:07 p.m.* we will toll a bell on Sanford Mall 39 times – Dr. King’s age at his death. This is a simple, yet meaningful way for our nation to acknowledge the loss as well as the great contributions Dr. King gave to the world stage.

One of the organizers of the commemorative events taking place this week, The National Civil Rights Museum, “encourages the world to reflect, but not to linger, on the past. Instead, focus on the future.”