United Academics was represented by many faculty at the Eugene-Springfield NAACP March for MLK, Jr. Day on January 16, 2017. The theme was “Standing United,” and participants met near UO’s PK Park and marched to the Shedd Institute in downtown Eugene.
A highlight of the program at the Shedd was Congressman Peter DeFazio, who told a standing-room crowd that he was standing by his friend, Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis (D-GA) in the week leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration. Also on the agenda were a number of local community leaders like NAACP President Eric Richardson and UO President Michael Schill, who took the opportunity to address recent racially charged incidents at the UO head on, promising that the UO would be a partner with African American and other underrepresented communities on campus in the days and years to come.