PELLA — Central College will observe its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration with a public session featuring keynote speaker Jaime Schultz, professor of kinesiology at Penn State. Her visit is made possible through a grant from the Moore Family Foundation.

Schultz, author of “Moment of Impact: Injury, Racialized Memory and Reconciliation in College Football,” investigates the story of Jack Trice and other Black athletes at Iowa colleges. Her work examines persistent inequities in sports and provides a historically grounded lens on race, memory and social justice that will guide this year’s program.

The keynote session will begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in Douwstra Auditorium on the Central campus and will be open to the public.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers the campus an opportunity for collective learning, reflection and service,” says Paulina Mena, Ruth and Marvin Denekas Endowed Chair in Science and Humanities, professor of biology and faculty fellow for diversity and inclusion. “The planning committee has crafted a day with substantive discussions, and we are grateful to the Moore Family Foundation for supporting Jaime Schultz as our keynote speaker. Her research on Jack Trice and on the experiences of Black athletes at Iowa institutions, together with her broader analysis of inequities in sports, will encourage conversations that feel both timely and necessary for our community.”

As in prior years, the schedule includes academic sessions and hands-on service projects designed for Central students, emphasizing engagement and experiential learning. The observance concludes with a choir performance.