Celebrations in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are being cancelled around Oxford due to the spread of the coronavirus.

The University of Mississippi’s Center for Community Engagement issued a statement reporting the MLK Dinner & Celebration as well as the MLK Day of Service has been cancelled.

Due to the recent rise & spread of the new Covid-19 Variant, we have decided to cancel the MLK Dinner & Celebration, as well as the MLK Day of Service.

“We hope to reschedule/and or make a virtual event to celebrate and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said the CEC’s public statement. “Thank you all for your support & understanding, for this was a difficult decision to make.”

It was reported that Monday’s Oxford/LOU MLK March organized by the Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity along with the following program was cancelled as well.