Myra Selby will be the keynote speaker for the 2015 Martin Luther King Day Celebration Leadership Celebration. She was on the court from 1995-99 and was involved with landmark decisions on property taxes, insurance and tort law reform, according to an IU press release.
While on the court, Selby authored more than 100 majority opinions and was appointed chair of the Indiana Supreme Court’s commission on Race and Gender Fairness.
Selby is still a member of the commission today. She is currently a partner at law firm Ice Miller in Indianapolis.
She is originally from Michigan and has a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College.
IU will not have classes on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“As headline-grabbing stories of racial strife threaten to drown out the countless acts of goodwill among people of different backgrounds that occur quietly every day, it is perhaps more important than ever to, quote, ‘accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said in a press release.
Nonprofit organizations, IU and the city of Bloomington have collaborated to create a volunteer effort called “A Day On, Not a Day Off” to encourage students and community members to volunteer on Monday, according to the press release.
Some IU students, including 21st Century Scholars, are participating in volunteer event “Cover Bloomington” at the Interfaith Emergency Winter Shelter.
The volunteers will help set up the shelter, prepare meals and organize clothing in one of the four shelter sites in the area.
Other volunteer opportunities are available at be.CAUSE gallery, My Sister’s Closet of Monroe County, Middle Way House, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Girls Incorporated of Monroe County and more.
To sign up for these volunteer opportunities, visit bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org.
All Martin Luther King Jr. Day events on the Bloomington campus are free and open to the public, except the Leadership Breakfast, which is by invitation only.
“Martin Luther King’s efforts profoundly and radically changed what’s possible for all people in this country — though his work, as recent events in the news have shown, remains unfinished,” Vice Provost for Educational Inclusion Martin McCrory said in a press release.
“His legacy is deeply relevant to IU students, faculty and staff, who care about issues of social justice and equality. Last year, we looked back 50 years to the historic March on Washington. This year, we’re looking forward to further growth as a community and as a society.”
Other campus events include a community recognition of King’s life at 7 p.m. Monday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
The event will include musical performances from the IU African American Choral Ensemble and the University School Choir.
The IU School of Optometry will collaborate with the Salvation Army, Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity students, the city of Bloomington and the Bloomington Lions Club to provide eye exams and eyeglasses to Bloomington community members who cannot afford or do not have access to vision care, according to the press release.
People who are eligible are asked to sign up with the Salvation Army before Monday in order to participate. The event will begin 8:30 a.m. at the Atwater Eye Care Center.
Alison Graham
