Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I take a few moments to reflect on the life-altering work of a man whose legacy continues to inspire, while reminding us that this work is incomplete, and requires all of us to overcome the challenges still facing us today.

With the conclusion of the fall semester, we enter a period of holidays and celebrations across many faiths, cultures and traditions. Common threads across these celebrations are messages of hope, peace, love, reflection, caring and service. This fall we entered Year Five of our DEI Strategic Plan, held our first virtual DEI Summit and published our annual DEI progress report in a web-based format.

In 1967, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the first draft of his final book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” In it, King shared his thoughts, plans and dreams for America’s future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing and quality education.

The presenters at U-M’s 2020 DEI Summit highlighted the intersection of art and social justice as they encouraged people to use their voices and talents as mechanisms for change.