IU campuses, communities honor Martin Luther King's legacy
Several Indiana University campuses have joined with their surrounding communities to celebrate the life of legendary civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. in a series of events surrounding Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The highlight of the Indiana University Bloomington celebration will be a free, public talk by the Rev. Jesse Jackson at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater (114 E. Kirkwood Ave.), sponsored in part by IU and the university's public radio station, WTIU. Jackson's appearance will be preceded by a reception at the First United Methodist Church, 219 E. 4th St., where winners of the Martin Luther King Commission Web Design Contest will be recognized. It also will feature musical performances by the IU African American Choral Ensemble and Margaret Chun, winner of the Talent Hunt Program. For more information, see http://www.bloomington.in.gov/, or contact Craig Brenner at 812-349-3471.
Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations and activities began Jan. 11 at IU Bloomington and will continue through Jan. 23. Events include a day of activities for elementary school children at the IU School of Education, an interfaith prayer service, a leadership breakfast, a unity summit and a new film series that will be presented in campus cultural centers and residence halls.
Many IU students use the Jan. 18 break from classes to honor King's legacy by volunteering in the community. "A Day On, Not a Day Off" in Bloomington will place volunteers with nonprofit agencies, IU and the city of Bloomington. Also on Jan. 18, the IU School of Optometry, in collaboration with the Salvation Army, will provide eye exams and eye glasses to members of the Bloomington community who do not have access to vision care. (Eligible patients are required to sign up with Salvation Army prior to the holiday.)
"This year, the infectious positive spirit of countless individual acts of community service is acknowledged by our theme, 'Now is the Time: Making Real the Promise," wrote IU Bloomington professors and MLK Day celebration co-chairs Kathy Smith and Martin McCrory in a letter welcoming participants.
For more information about the IU Bloomington celebrations, see http://www.indiana.edu/~mlkjr/.
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2010 with celebrations that began Jan. 13 that run through Jan. 15. This year's theme is "The Dream and the African-American Agenda." This evening will be "Dream Celebration 2010" at 7 p.m. in the IPFW John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center, Rhinehart Recital Hall. Dream Celebration 2010 is a formal event to pay tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. co-sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Theta Upsilon Lambda Chapter. For more information, contact Christopher W. Riley, assistant director of multicultural services and the career and technical education (CTE) programs, at 260-481-6847 or rileyc@ipfw.edu.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will celebrate with its annual tradition, a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at Campus Center 450. This event is organized by a group of student leaders and gives hundreds of IUPUI students, faculty, staff and guests the opportunity to remember King by volunteering at community sites across Indianapolis to honor his commitment to service and social justice.
All participants must register themselves for this event. If you are part of a team, "Team Leaders" and "Team Names" can be indicated on the form below. If you have already registered and need to add, subtract, or correct your submissions, please email the Office of Community Service at commserv@iupui.edu, or call (317) 278-9651.
The Indiana University Northwest Diversity Programming Series, in collaboration with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., hosted the university's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Savannah Auditorium Jan. 14. The featured speaker was Black Entertainment Television host and producer Jeff Johnson, an internationally recognized journalist and social activist. Johnson is managing editor and chief correspondent for "The Truth With Jeff Johnson," a BET talk show that has earned Johnson the reputation as the network's "conscience voice" for his positive work affecting youth and young adults.
The Washington D.C.-based Johnson was the only American reporter to receive a post-election interview with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa. He was one of only two news correspondents to interview Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who had not granted interviews to American media outlets for 13 years. Johnson has also worked as a senior advisor for the Media and Youth Outreach for People for the American Way, National Director for the Youth & College Division of the NAACP, and as Vice President of the Hip-Hop Action Summit.
The South Bend Symphony Orchestra will perform a free, open to the public Martin Luther King Day Celebration Concert on Monday, January 18, at Indiana University South Bend. The concert will be 8 p.m. at the Northside Hall Main Auditorium on campus.
The concert features the South Bend Symphonic Choir, IU South Bend Chorale and the IU South Bend Gospel Choir, along with members of the IU South Bend Jazz ensemble under the direction of Marvin Curtis, Dean of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend. They will join Maestro Tsung Yeh and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra for an evening of inspirational music, from Duke Ellington to Uzee Brown. Concertgoers can obtain the free tickets needed for admission at the IU South Bend Auditorium Box Office.
The South Bend Symphony Orchestra Association Inc. received one of eight grants for the state of Indiana from the "Access to Artistic Excellence" program, a highly competitive grant program from the National Endowment for the Arts. Titled "A Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr." the concert will feature music written to pay tribute to the ideals of Dr. King's philosophy of a unified, collaborative community. Music featured in this community performance includes Ellington's "Les Trios Rois Noirs", Handel's "Hallelujah", arranged by Quincy Jones, Joseph Schwantner's "New Morning for the World", for narrator and orchestra, Grant Still's Afro American Symphony and ending with Uzee Brown's "We Shall Overcome". The narrator for the concert is Mr. David Buggs. The South Bend Symphonic Choir recently returned from a holiday performance at the White House.
To reserve free tickets for the concert, call the IU South Bend North Side Hall Auditorium Box office at 574-520-4203. (Tickets are free of charge but reservations are required and seating is limited.) This performance is underwritten in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Music Performance Fund of The American Federation of Musicians. The South Bend Symphony receives a general operation grant from the Indiana Arts Commission.
