University of Oregon leaders kicked off a week of celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by joining in the annual Community Martin Luther King, Jr. March sponsored by the Eugene-Springfield NAACP. President Gottfredson, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh, and other UO staff, faculty members, and students joined with several hundred marchers as they walked from Autzen Stadium to the Shedd Institute for the Arts. At the Shedd community members, Mayor Kitty Piercy and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) spoke about the need to continue Dr. King's fight for equity and justice. Gottfredson spoke about the UO’s commitment to equity, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes higher education and society better. He also spoke about the UO’s partnership with the Equity and Community Consortium, a group of public agencies dedicated to diversity and inclusion through leadership.