“The Dream: [Insert Self Here]” is the theme for Eastern Michigan University’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 15-19.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, and there will be many opportunities for students to get involved beginning tomorrow.
“The idea here was, in the Obama Era, the 21st Century, to address how Dr. King’s ‘Dream’ affects, or impacts, [students] individually… How can students insert themselves into the dream?” said Greg Peoples, University ombudsman, when explaining the theme.
Keith Boykin, editor of The Daily Voice Web site, a New York Times best-selling author and former special assistant to President Bill Clinton, will help answer that question in his keynote speech at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Boykin’s address is entitled, “Reaching Dr. King’s Dream in the Obama Era.”
Following Boykin’s speech will be the annual President’s Luncheon and the presentation of the MLK Humanitarian Awards, as well as the winner of the Student Video Competition at 11:45 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Tickets are $19 for faculty and staff, $9 for students and are available at the Convocation Center, Quirk Theatre and in the Student Center.
The Student Video Competition is a new event added to the schedule for 2010. Students entered by creating a two-minute video reflecting how King has impacted their life and what this year’s theme means to them, with the winner set to receive a $500 scholarship. As previously reported by The Echo, voting will be held on an online poll at http://www.emich.edu/mlk/video_vote.html but must be submitted before Jan. 15.
At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 in Pease Auditorium, the Poetry Society will be hosting the “Color of Drums” performance commemorating King’s life through song, dance and spoken word. The following day in the same location at 7 p.m., there will be a Hip Hop Explosion competition featuring performances that reflect King’s value and spirit, all according to the 2010 EMU MLK Web site at www.emich.edu/mlk.
An interesting panel is being held at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Student Center Auditorium entitled, “From the Playing Field to the Front Office.” Relevant not only to athletes, it will feature EMU Athletic Director Derrick Gragg, football coach Ron English, baseball coach Jay Alexander and women’s basketball coach AnnMarie Gilbert as they share their experiences in climbing the ranks of Division I athletics.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, besides the keynote speech and the President’s Luncheon, there are numerous academic sessions being offered, the majority of which qualify for Learning Beyond the Classroom credit, in various rooms throughout the Student Center.
The sessions range from dramatic performances of a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X called, “The Meeting,” to an interactive session with EMU faculty member Stephen Jefferson and recent Master’s Program graduate Lori Hale evaluating “Stereotypes and Film.”
Full details concerning academic sessions are available in PDF by visiting http://www.emich.edu/mlk/lbc.html.
Wrapping up the events on Jan. 19 is a book and film event featuring the works of Melba Pattillo Beals. Beals wrote the book “Warriors Don’t Cry,” which chronicled her experiences in 1957 in Little Rock, Ark., when she was chosen to attend an all-white high school.
In addition, the 2008 documentary film “Prom Night in Mississippi” will be shown. The film highlights a Mississippi high school that still held segregated proms until 2008 and is produced by Morgan Freeman. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Student Center Auditorium.
Peoples would like to “encourage everybody from the university community to come out and take part in some part of the program.”
“Eastern Michigan has the best celebration and commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King of any institution in the state of Michigan.” Peoples said. “There is something here for everyone.”
For more information, please visit the 2010 EMU MLK Web site at www.emich.edu/mlk/
