The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon

The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon

The University of Chicago’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1892

Chicago Maroon

University pulls out all stops for MLK Jr. Week

The University community is commemorating the 19th anniversary of the national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a weeklong celebration (January 10 to 17). The events kicked off with the screening of the documentary Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, on Monday, followed by a discussion led by Jacqueline Stewart, an associate professor of English language and literature on the Committee on Cinema and Media Studies and the Committee on African and African-American studies. Other highlights for the week: a faculty panel discussion on equality and civil rights, moderated by Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a political science professor, featuring panelists like Mae Ngai, a history professor and Iris Young, a political science professor, a reading by Danielle Allen, dean of the humanities division and a professor of Classics and of political science, from her new book, Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship since Brown v. Board of Education; a spoken-word open-mic event at Uncle Joe’s Coffee Shop to honor the cross-cultural significance of MLK’s legacy, where students are encouraged to perform and guest artists include Anida Yoeu Esguerra and Avery R. Young; and a gospel music festival at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, with choirs like Soul Umoja, the St. James Radio Choir, and the Sons and Daughters of Levi from Salem Baptist Church of Chicago.

The celebrations will conclude on Monday, January 17, with a speech by Camille Quinn, a Social Service Administration alumna, and a dance performance by Tamboula Ethnic Dance Company, which precedes the memorial service speech by the keynote speaker Kweisi Mfume, former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

In conjunction with the MLK celebration, the University libraries will be displaying highlights from their collections on African-American culture throughout the week.

For more information, contact the Office of Minority Student affairs at (773) 834-4672 or omsa@uchicago.edu. Locations and times can be found at http://mlk.uchicago.edu/schedule.html.

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