EAST LANSING, Mich. — As the country prepares to install its first African-American president, Michigan State University will honor the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr. with several commemorative events.
“Change is Coming,” adopted from President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign, is the theme of MSU’s 2009 MLK Jr. celebration.
“It is fitting that on the eve of the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama we gather to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “Just as, in the 1960s, so many young adults rallied around Dr. King’s message of hope for a brighter future, so, too, a record number of young people embraced Barack Obama’s message of change during the 2008 presidential election.
“The Martin Luther King Jr. Day events and programs at MSU celebrate the change that is coming and the work of the man who helped make it possible.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, during a live broadcast of the presidential inauguration, MSU students will facilitate table talks about the historic election. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the MSU Student Union Ballroom.
At the same time, MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will host an inaugural simulcast during “Who Was Martin Luther King? A Friend’s Perspective.” Presenter William Anderson, senior adviser to the college dean, was a friend of King’s and organized many civil rights marches. The event begins at noon in E105 E. Fee Hall, and lunch will be provided.
On Monday, Jan. 19, the national day of recognition, MSU’s debate team will travel to the nation’s capital for the first-ever Inauguration Debate Series. The series will pit six schools against each other in three 75-minute debates on the new administration’s policies. MSU senior Garrett Abelkop of Alpharetta, Ga., and junior Carly Wunderlich of Brookfield, Wis., will debate for the Spartan team, which has 12 members.
Hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, the debates are inspired by the 100th anniversary of the first debates between historically black colleges and universities as depicted in the 2007 film “The Great Debaters.”
On campus, MSU will kick off its MLK Jr. Day festivities with the Student Leadership Conference, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at the MSU Student Union. Sessions will focus on King’s message of change, equality and empowerment. James Hildreth, director of the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research, in Nashville, will be the keynote luncheon speaker, discussing King’s message as it relates to science.
He also will co-lead a workshop, “The Scientific Aspect of Change,” with an MSU Charles Drew Science scholar. The Charles Drew Science Scholars program – which is co-sponsoring Hildreth’s visit – is an MSU program that provides academic assistance and support for high-achieving undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds His visit also is sponsored by a grant from the Dr. Ronald Goldsberry Lectureship Endowment.
Hildreth is the former chief of the Division of Research for the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Separate from the conference, he will meet with MSU AIDS researchers.
MSU is hosting several other events throughout the week to honor King’s legacy:
- Meet and Greet with Bobby Seale – Seale is a civil rights activist who co-founded the Black Panthers; Thursday, Jan. 15, 5 p.m. at the Kellogg Center Auditorium.
- Showtyme @ MSU – talent show to kick off the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration; Saturday, Jan. 17, 9 p.m., MSU International Center.
- Jazz: Spiritual, Prayers and Protest – jazz concerts featuring the work of Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock performed by MSU’s Jazz Orchestra I, Vocal Jazz Ensemble I and Voices of Total Praise gospel choir; Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Wharton Center for Performing Arts’ Pasant Theatre. Free but tickets are required and can be obtained at the Wharton Center Box Office.
- “Into the Streets,” a community service event.
- Commemorative march, 3:30 p.m. Jan. 19, from the MSU Student Union to Beaumont Tower.
- Community dinner, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at MSU’s Akers Hall. MSU faculty, staff and students are eligible to receive one free ticket, with additional tickets available to the public for $9.50. Registration is required.
- "Threads of Change: The Transformation of West African Textiles" – MSU Museum exhibition that tells the story of West African culture and change through a collection of textiles; exhibition runs Jan. 18-Aug. 20, with an opening reception from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the MSU Museum.
For more information on MSU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, visit http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/mlk.
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