Jan. 7, 2010
MLK events start Jan. 13
by Erin Rosacker
A Jan. 13 carillon concert is one of several events scheduled into February to honor the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. All events are free and open to the public.
Carilloneur Tin-Shi Tam will feature hymns, spirituals and inspirational arrangements during her daily lunchtime performance on Jan. 13. The 20-minute concert, "Let Freedom Ring," will be webcast live, beginning at 11:50 a.m.
An Ames community celebration is planned for the national holiday on Jan. 18 (6 p.m., Ames Middle School, 3915 Mortensen Rd.). Songs, stories and cake are part of the collaborative MLK birthday festivities, highlighted by ISU alum Paxton Williams' performance as George Washington Carver.
Advancing One Community Awards
Kinesiology senior lecturer Yong Chin Pak and Thomas Harmsen, a senior in marketing from Muscatine, are this year's Advancing One Community Award winners. The annual awards honor individuals and groups that foster a multicultural community at ISU utilizing the principles and goals of Martin Luther King Jr.
The annual campus celebration of the MLK holiday is planned for Jan. 21 (4 p.m., Great Hall, MU). Speakers include retired ISU faculty member Lenola Allen-Sommerville, Government of the Student Body president Jonathan Turk and Black Student Alliance president Bryan Woodson. The event also features a musical performance by Gospel Soul Innovators and recognition of the Advancing One Community award winners.
Lectures lineup
R. Steven Lewis is the first of three speakers scheduled to visit campus for the 2010 MLK series. He will present "Who Will Tell the Story? The Black Architects' Epic Journey Toward Equal Opportunity" on Jan. 25 (8 p.m., Great Hall, MU). Lewis is president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, which estimates there are fewer than 2,000 licensed black architects nationally.
Film director Patrick Mureithi will lead a discussion, "Trauma, Reconciliation and Forgiveness after the Rwandan Genocide," after a 45-minute screening of his documentary, ICYIZERE: hope, on Jan. 26 (8 p.m., Great Hall, MU). The film chronicles a reunion of survivors and offenders from the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The series wraps up Feb. 8 with "Unclaimed Legacy: Who Will Lead?" at 8 p.m. in the Great Hall. Jeff Johnson, a political commentator and journalist, covers issues ranging from race and politics to popular culture. A regular contributor on BET Networks, he also served as national director of the youth and college division of the NAACP.
