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Much of the food was homemade for a buffet during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration attended by students and faculty on Jan. 18, 2026. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

An attendee holds a plate of food during an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, on the campus of IU Indianapolis. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Darrius Avery, right, discusses options for relocating with attendees during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. Students organized the event after the university canceled its annual MLK Dinner. The gathering was originally set to take place in the Campus Center, but it was relocated to Taylor Hall after they were told to leave the space. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Darrius Avery, front right, pulls a cart loaded with food and drinks to a new location during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

IU Indianapolis cancels annual Martin Luther King, Jr. dinner

The university’s Black Student Union criticized the decision.

January 9, 2026January 12, 2026

Darrius Avery, top left, shares details about the event with early arrivals during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Attendees fill their plates with food during an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, on the campus of IU Indianapolis, organized after the annual MLK Dinner was canceled by the university. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Students and faculty attended an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis’ Taylor Hall. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Fliers, beverages, and utensils sit on a table during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

Students and faculty attend an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis’ Taylor Hall. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy

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Photos: IU Indianapolis students host “eat-in” protest

by Doug McSchooler, Mirror Indy
January 20, 2026

<h1>Photos: IU Indianapolis students host “eat-in” protest</h1>
<p class="byline">by Doug McSchooler, Mirror Indy <br />January 20, 2026</p>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignfull">
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM005-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71722" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Much of the food was homemade for a buffet during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration attended by students and faculty on Jan. 18, 2026.</figcaption></figure>
</p></div>
<div class="wp-block-column">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM012-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71729" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An attendee holds a plate of food during an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, on the campus of IU Indianapolis.</figcaption></figure>
</p></div>
</p></div>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM006-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71723" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Darrius Avery, right, discusses options for relocating with attendees during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. Students organized the event after the university canceled its annual MLK Dinner. The gathering was originally set to take place in the Campus Center, but it was relocated to Taylor Hall after they were told to leave the space.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM008-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71725" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Darrius Avery, front right, pulls a cart loaded with food and drinks to a new location during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis.</figcaption></figure>
<div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)"> </div>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM009-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71726" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Darrius Avery, top left, shares details about the event with early arrivals during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis. </figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM010-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71727" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Attendees fill their plates with food during an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, on the campus of IU Indianapolis, organized after the annual MLK Dinner was canceled by the university.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM015-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71732" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students and faculty attended an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis' Taylor Hall.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM017-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71734" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fliers, beverages, and utensils sit on a table during an alternate Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260118_PHOTOS-MLK-DINNER-PROTEST_DM014-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-71731" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students and faculty attend an alternate MLK celebration Jan. 18, 2026, at IU Indianapolis' Taylor Hall.</figcaption></figure>
<p><em>Doug McSchooler is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach him at <a href="mailto:doug@mcschooler.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doug@mcschooler.com</a>.</em></p>
<p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/photos-iu-indianapolis-students-host-eat-in-protest/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p>
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