On January 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Eugene-Springfield branch of the NAACP organized a civil rights march from the PK Park to the Shedd Institute. The march first followed Eugene's Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, named in honor of the civil rights leader, and culminated with a program at the Shedd. The UO was one of the event sponsors.

Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), UO Interim President Scott Coltrane, UO Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh, and students from the Oregon Young Scholars Program were among the local leaders who offered remarks before the march started.  During the program at the Shedd, two community members with ties to the UO were honored with Martin Luther King Jr. Awards by the City of Eugene Human Rights Commission. Deborah Olson, Assistant Professor in Special Education and Clinical Services, was recognized for her work and advocacy in the area of disability status and social justice. Marshall Sauceda, with the UO from 1987-1997 and director of the UO’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, was posthumously recognized.