Most people associate civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., but today, UF Multicultural and Diversity Affairs will celebrate civil rights leaders from all cultures and backgrounds.
From 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Broward Hall library, Multicultural and Diversity Affairs will host an event highlighting the works of civil rights activists from different communities.
The event, called CommUNITY, is a collaboration among the Institute of Black Culture, the Institute of Hispanic Latino Cultures, LGBT Affairs and Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs.
"The main goal is to educate and inform people about generally overlooked civil rights leaders," said John Johnson, director of the Institute of Black Culture.
CommUNITY will feature presentations given by the directors of the four groups, which will draw attention to civil rights leaders from their respective communities.
The event emphasizes how the activists' work still impacts students today.
"We realize students are busy," said Leah Villanueva, director of Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs, "but the opportunity to learn about different communities' stories is so important and necessary to share."
A free sandwich lunch will be provided for those who attend, Villanueva said.
She expects 40 to 50 students to attend.
Multicultural and Diversity Affairs Director Jarrod Cruz said the CommUNITY is the first of its kind at UF.
The event is part of UF's Martin Luther King Celebration and has been advertised through fliers and emails.
Cruz said UF spent less than $100 on CommUNITY.
Villanueva said the idea for CommUNITY began when Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs wanted to do an event for Fred Korematsu Day, which celebrates accomplishments of the Japanese-American civil rights activist. The four groups decided to combine their ideas into one event, allowing all four cultural areas to highlight a different civil rights activist.
