University students will have the opportunity to participate in the 16th annual MLK Symposium this weekend and for next month. The symposium celebrates the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and promotes the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideology greatly inspired King's work. The symposium began Monday, and the events will run through mid-February with many of the central events occurring on Jan. 20, which is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This weekend, University students should actively participate in the symposium's activities, as it is a great opportunity to learn, listen and remember.

The symposium's theme for this year is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: "We must be the change we see in this world." One of the main goals in having these presentations and guest speakers is to challenge people to look inward. The point in this challenge is for everyone to realize that if race relations are to improve, each person must be a part of that effort.

Ronald Takaki, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and one of the most prominent figures of modern multicultural studies, gave the opening lecture to the symposium last Monday. Distinguished culture critic, author and feminist bell hooks spoke Wednesday at the Michigan Union. Other keynote speakers will include Grace Lee Boggs and Rajmohan Gandhi.

Boggs, a Chinese-American activist, will speak at 10 a.m. this Monday in Rackham Auditorium. Boggs and her late husband, James, were active in the civil rights movement and particularly active in civil rights efforts in Detroit. As a speaker and writer of numerous books - and with 60 years of activist experience - Boggs is sure to bring much insight and knowledge to MLK Day discourse.

Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will also be speaking Monday at 4 p.m. in Schorling Auditorium at the School of Education. Gandhi, a professor of South Asian and Middle Eastern studies, will give a speech titled "Clinging to the Truth in the 21st Century: What the Legacies of King and Gandhi Offer." In addition to his experience as a professor, he has served as a member of the Indian Upper House of Parliament and has represented India in the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

University students who have not yet participated in any part of the MLK Symposium should take part in MLK Day festivities, and those who have already participated should continue to do so. In addition to the keynote speakers, festivities will include discussions, musical performances and film screenings. The symposium offers a great opportunity for students to learn and share their thoughts on race relations. Monday is the observed birthday of King, and students should not consider it to be just another day off from school; it should be a time for remembrance and learning, a day of productive and peaceful discussion and debate.