The University Record, January 9, 1996
Events honoring Martin Luther King begin this week
Editor’s Note: A calendar of events commemorating Martin Luther king Jr. is on pages 7-10.
By Bernie DeGroat
News and Information Services
The University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. beginning this Friday and continuing into February with a plethora of events, including lectures, workshops, community service opportunities, films, performances and displays.
Most of the more than 60 events during the University’s MLK Symposium, “Affirmation Through Action: The Challenge Continues,” will take place the week of Jan. 15, the national holiday honoring the late civil rights leader.
Classes will be suspended on that day and supervisors are encouraged to provide release time for staff to attend programs of interest to them.
The celebration kicks off Friday (Jan. 12) with the presentation of a dramatic reading of King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” followed by commentary from student and community activists, 10 a.m.-noon in the Mendelssohn Theater, Michigan League.
During the weekend, the Boys Choir of Harlem will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday (Jan. 14) at Hill Auditorium. Established in 1968, the choir’s repertoire includes classical, jazz, contemporary, gospel and spiritual music. Tickets, $10-$24, are available at the University Musical Society box office. Their performance is cosponsored by the University Musical Society.
The highlight of MLK Day, Jan. 15, will be the MLK Memorial Lecture by former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders at 10:30 a.m. in Hill Auditorium. Elders, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Arkansas Medical School, was the first African American and second female to serve as surgeon general.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Elders’ unwavering support for condom distribution, sex education, abortion rights, and taxes on tobacco and alcohol ultimately led to her resignation as surgeon general in December 1994.
Elders’ address will be followed by the Black Student Union’s annual MLK Unity March at noon at South University Ave. between Forest St. and Washtenaw Ave. For information, call 747-1067.
MLK Symposium events scheduled the afternoon of Jan. 15 include:
“Acting on the Dream,” a community service learning project 1—6 p.m. at more than two dozen local community-based agencies, such as homeless shelters and youth centers. Those interested in taking part should call the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, 936-1055, or the Office of Community Service Learning, 763-3548.
“The Million Man March: Where Do We Go From Here?,” a panel discussion about issues raised during the Million Man March in October, 3-5 p.m. in Auditorium 3, Modern Languages Building (MLB). This program is coordinated with the U-M’s NAACP, Black Undergraduate Law Association and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
“Affirmative Action in Higher Education,” a panel discussion addressing the future of affirmative action policies at colleges and universities in light of the University of California system’s decision last summer to end such programs, 3-5 p.m. in Auditorium 4, MLB.
Alma’s Rainbow, a film about the lives of three African American women in Brooklyn, 5 p.m. at the Michigan Theater. A discussion with producer/director/writer Ayoka Chenzira, who teaches at the City College of New York, will follow. This event is co-sponsored by the Michigan Theater and the Program in Film and Video Studies.
The closing Symposium event on MLK Day will be a concert by Grammy-nominated gospel singer Yolanda Adams and the U-M Gospel Chorale at 8 p.m. at the Power Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for the performance are sold out.
In addition, dozens of unit-sponsored events honoring King will be held beginning Wednesday (Jan. 10). Among these are:
A lecture by former Black Panther Bobby Seale at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Michigan Union Ballroom (sponsored by the University Library and the School of Information and Library Studies).
A talk by actor/director Ossie Davis at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Business School’s Hale Auditorium Assembly Hall (sponsored by the Business School).
A panel discussion on “Applying King’s Principles in the Middle East: Activism for Justice, Human Rights and Peace” at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Lane Hall Commons (sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies).
A film presentation, The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America, at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Founder’s Room, Alumni Center (cosponsored by the Office of Financial Aid and the Alumni Association).
A discussion of the English-only movement at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 in Room 3050, Frieze Building (sponsored by the English Language Institute).
A performance by the Afromusicology Ensemble at 3 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater (sponsored by the Office of the Associate Vice President for Finance).
“A Multimedia Tour of Michigan’s Underground Railroad” at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17 in the McCormick Conference Room, U-M Transportation Research Institute (co-sponsored by UMTRI and the ITS Research Center of Excellence).
For more information on MLK Symposium events, call Michael Jones-Coleman, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs, 936-1055.
