Beyond the quote

An immersive virtual reality (VR) experience will offer students, faculty, and staff a new way to engage with the work of Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the University of Redlands' week-long event celebrating the civil rights leader's legacy. 

Users will tap into the VR technology to expand their understanding of King's "I Have a Dream" speech—exploring beyond the frequently quoted line to discover the broad range of issues he raised in his iconic address.

One of several events taking place on the Redlands campus in observance of MLK Week, the “MLK: Now Is the Time” Virtual Reality Experience uses King’s speech as a starting point to explore the full breadth of its themes. Billed as an immersive program, the experience invites participants to move beyond the speech’s most familiar line and into the social and political issues King addressed more than 60 years ago.

Led by Instructional Designer Iyan Barrera-Sandri Ed.D. ’08 ’15 ’24, participants will interact with King’s work in a personal way.

“Most of our lives, we’re told this singular, ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,’” Iyan said. “There are more topics and information in that speech that we don’t get to explore, including redlining (the illegal practice of denying financial services based on a person's racial or ethnic composition) and voter rights.”

Unlike a lecture or discussion, the VR experience places users inside three scenarios inspired by topics of redlining, profiling, and voting. Intentionally immersive, users will be visually and emotionally separated from their surroundings—an element Iyan believes is key to the experience.

“With a closed, personal experience like VR, you’re excluded from the outside world,” he said. “Using this technology is crucial in protecting American history, democracy, and people. It helps students understand the truth about America, our past, and work towards creating a better future.”

Iyan notes that students often describe the experience as intense, particularly if they’re encountering these topics for the first time. For many, it offers a deeper understanding of how policies from the civil rights era continue to shape lived experiences today. 

“Through this experience, I want to expand students’ knowledge of MLK beyond a singular quote and go deeper into the themes King addressed across his work—not just the most quoted line from one speech,” he said.

MLK Week events include:

Tuesday, January 20

· LifeStream blood drive - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Casa Loma Room 

· All-Campus Peace Walk – 11 a.m. – noon, start at Memorial Chapel steps on the Redlands campus

Wednesday, January 21

· Walking Meditation 12:15 – 1 p.m., Labyrinth behind the Memorial Chapel

· MLK: Now is the Time Virtual Reality Experience 4 -6 p.m., VR Lab, Armacost 140

Thursday, January 22

· Blanket & Luminaria making 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Armacost second floor

· Luminaria Ceremony - 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., Hunsaker University Plaza

See the full list of events.