WMU to participate in communitywide tribute to MLK

Jan. 5, 2011

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College will join forces with the city of Kalamazoo and the Northside Ministerial Alliance to stage a communitywide tribute to the life and legacy of civil rights champion Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Western Michigan University. Activities memorializing King begin Friday, Jan. 14, with an MLK Chapel Service in Kalamazoo College's Stetson Chapel and continue through March 30. Among a slate of activities on Monday, Jan. 17, the national holiday honoring King, will be the city's annual Community Day of Service and a march to MLK Park. With the theme "Bringing Life to the Dream," this year's MLK celebration includes a wide range of activities, from educational sessions and forums to book readings and panel discussions.

MLK Celebration activities

Friday, Jan. 14

MLK Chapel Service, 11 a.m., Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College.

Saturday, Jan. 15

WMU Celebration and Public School Students Visitation, registration at 9 a.m., East Ballroom, Bernhard Center, WMU. Featured speakers are Juan Pacheco, a motivational speaker with Barrios Unidos, and Basheer Jones, a talk show host with Basheer Jones and Company.

Sunday, Jan. 16

Northside Ministerial Alliance MLK Communitywide Celebration, 4 p.m., Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave. Featured speaker will be Dr. Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, president, Kalamazoo College.

Monday, Jan. 17

City of Kalamazoo: Community Day of Service, 8 a.m., meet at City Hall, 241 W. South St. Volunteer opportunities available at local service organizations.
MLK Convocation Service, 10:50 a.m. Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College. Featured speaker will be Dr. Geneva J. Williams, president and CEO, City Connect Detroit.
March to MLK Park starting at 3:30 p.m. outside WMU's Kanley Chapel, to the corner of Thompson and Academy streets at 4 p.m., to the corner of Rose Street and West Michigan Avenue at 4:30 p.m., to MLK Park.
Young Black Males Support Network Forum, 6 p.m., East Ballroom, WMU Bernhard Center. Featured speaker will be Tim Wise, antiracist, essayist, author and educator.
Dialogue Circles, 7:30 p.m., Wesley Foundation of Kalamazoo, 2101 Wilbur Ave. Discussion and reflections of MLK followed by a brief summary lecture. Food provided.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

Teaching About Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, 4 to 5:30 p.m., 1028 Brown Hall, WMU. Workshop for teachers and aspiring teachers on how the causes that Martin Luther King stood for are still pertinent today.
Minorities in Business, 7 to 9 p.m., Multicultural Room, WMU Trimpe Building. Workshop and seminar providing students of color a look at the business world and tips on how to get ahead, including interviewing and resume skills.
MLK and Vietnam: War as an Enemy of the Poor, 7:30 p.m., Room 210 WMU Bernhard Center. Lecture and readings analyze MLK's position on the war.
Cultural Bridges to Equality: LGBT Awareness, 9 p.m., WMU Bernhard Center Faculty Lounge. Open forum and casual discussion on LGBT discrimination, acceptance and equality.

Thursday, Jan. 20

Whose Dreams? Cultural Narratives in Thomas Dixon's "The Clansman," Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" and Alice Randall's "The Wind Done Gone," 2 to 4 p.m., Brown and Gold Room, WMU Bernhard Center. Panel discussion to provide background for book circle.

Thursday, Feb. 17

Book Circle, 2 to 4 p.m., WMU Writing Center, 1343 Ellsworth Hall. Discussion of contrasts in cultural narratives in "The Clansman," "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wind Done Gone."

Wednesday, March 30

Heroes of Peace, 6 to 8 p.m., Room 105 WMU Bernhard Center. Five heroes of peace will be presented, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Henry Dunant, Fethullah Gülen, Nikkyo Niwano and Ralph Bunche. Event also includes an essay competition and light Mediterranean food.

For more information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, go to www.wmich.edu/mlk/.

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Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/news