By Bernie DeGroat
News and Information Services
Editor’s Note: See pages 7–10 for a listing of U-M events scheduled to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
Equity in education, the civil rights movement, social justice and the multicultural university will be featured in panel discussions commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. next Monday (Jan. 17).
Sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium Planning Committee, the panels are among some 60 events—from performances, films and exhibits to workshops, lectures and discussions—scheduled Jan. 14–18 to honor King.
“These panels will discuss topics that are relevant to the continuation of Dr. King’s quest for equity and justice in our society,” says symposium coordinator Michael P. Jones-Coleman, program associate in the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs.
The free, public panels will include participants from both inside and outside the University, and will be held at the following times and locations:
“Equity in Education,” 1:30–3:30 p.m., Schorling Auditorium, School of Education. Panelists include: Donald R. Deskins, professor of urban geography and sociology; Michael T. Nettles, professor of education; Jay L. Robinson, professor of English and of education; and Vivian Sykes, graduate student in information and library studies;
“Evaluation of the Civil Rights Movement,” 1:30–3:30 p.m., Chrysler Center Auditorium, North Campus. Panelists include: Teshome G. Wagaw, professor of education and of Afroamerican and African studies; Hardy Frye, professor of sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz; and Adrien K. Wing, law professor, University of Iowa;
“Social Justice,” 3:40–5:30 p.m., Room 100, Law School. Panelists include: James A. Chaffers, professor of architecture; Sharon McPhail, chief of Screening and District Courts, Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office; Gail M. Nomura, lecturer in American culture and history; and Rick Olguin, professor of social science, North Seattle Community College;
“The Model of the Multicultural University,” 3:40–5:30 p.m., Rackham Building Amphitheater. Panelists include: Michael Awkward, associate professor of English and of Afroamerican and African studies; Taylor Cox, associate professor of organizational behavior and human resources management; June M. Howard, associate professor of English and of women’s studies and director of the Program in American Culture; Harry Kitano, professor of social welfare and sociology, University of California, Los Angeles; and Carolyn McTighe Musil, associate director of the American Commitment Project, Association of American Colleges.
As in years past, classes will be suspended Jan. 17 to provide students the opportunity to attend the various events. James R. Thiry, assistant vice president for personnel, notes that supervisors have been encouraged to provide release time for staff members who wish to participate in events of interest to them.
Under the theme “American Culture or America—the Multicultural? The Challenge of the 21st Century,” the symposium also will include a keynote address by Charles H. Long, professor of religious studies and director of the Center for Black Studies at the Univer-sity of California, Santa Barbara, at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 17 in Hill Auditorium, and the Black Student Union’s annual Unity March at noon that day.
Musical performances by the U-M Black Arts Orchestra at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 in Hill Auditorium and by the Winans at 8 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Power Center for the Performing Arts will open and close Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.
Admission is free to the Black Arts Orchestra concert. Tickets for the Winans are $15 and $20 for general admission and $10 for U-M students, and are available at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and TicketMaster outlets. For groups of 12 or more, tickets are $10 each.
Among the speakers in events offered by individual University units on Jan. 17 are:
Rev. Keith Butler, pastor of Word of Faith Ministries, will speak on “Christ and King: A Look at the Relationship Between the Gospel and Racial Reconciliation” at 7 p.m., Pendleton Room, Michigan Union.
Alumna Mary Frances Berry, chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, will discuss multiculturalism at 10 a.m., Michigan Union Ballroom.
Alvin Pouissaint, professor of psychiatry and associate dean for student affairs, Harvard Medical School, will talk about “The Positive Power of Diversity” at 10 a.m., Hale Auditorium, School of Business Administration.
Alumnus James Comer, professor of child psychiatry and associate dean, Yale University School of Medicine, will speak about parents and the mental health of children at 2 p.m., Power Center for Performing Arts.
Other unit-sponsored discussions include:
“Stereotyping and Dehumanization of Muslims: What Should Be the Response of the University Community?” 10 a.m.–noon, Commons Room, Lane Hall.
“Multiculturalism and Diversity Symposium,” 3–6 p.m., Founders Room, Institute for Social Research.
“Understanding Multiculturalism: A Workplace Skill for the 21st Century,” 4:10–5 p.m., Career Planning & Placement, Room 3200, Student Activities Building.
“Breaking Down the Barriers: Communication, Organizational Structure and Programming in Minority Student Groups,” 7–9 p.m., Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union.
For more information, contact Jones-Coleman, 936-1055.
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