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K-State Today

January 5, 2012

Campus events announced for Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week

Submitted by Myra Gordon

Dear Colleagues:

The Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week Planning Committee is pleased to announce its lineup of events for the 2012 celebration. Every year’s observance has its own unique character and this year, we are celebrating the historic dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Capitol Mall and the fifth anniversary of the installation of our Commemorative MLK Bust. Moreover, as many of you know who have been following the King saga at K-State, we are still working to build the Coretta Scott King Gardens of Engagement. With all this in mind, the 2012 theme is, “Celebrating One Dream Realized…Still Marching Toward Our Dream.” The MLK Observance Week Planning Committee is very excited to bring you this year’s events, as we continue the celebration of this truly great man like no other campus in the nation.

Our celebration will begin Sunday, Jan. 22, with the opening reception for patrons and friends from 3-6 p.m. at the Beach Museum of Art. The reception will feature a showing of "The Rosa Parks Story," followed by wine, cheese and hors d’oeuvres. Space is limited to the first 80 people to respond to mirta@k-state.edu.

On Monday, Jan. 23, the College of Agriculture will sponsor its eighth annual Diversity Student Leaders Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. in the K and S ballrooms of the K-State Student Union. The speaker will be Bernard Franklin, special assistant to the vice president for student life, and his topic is “The Courage to Lead.” At 4:30 p.m. in the Little Theater, the College of Architecture, Planning and Design will hold its fourth annual Diversity Lecture. The speaker will be Annie Chu, principle of Chu + Gooding Architects. The topic of Chu's address will be "Slow Motion.” Then at 7 p.m., the School of Leadership Studies will be showing the film “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock." This screening will take place in the Town Hall Room of the Leadership Studies Building. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about a very important but lesser known figure in the civil rights movement.

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 3:30 p.m., the Commerce Bank Awards Reception will be in the Alumni Center. This year's awardees are Ariel Anib, senior in criminology, and Madai Rivera, coordinator of academic services and diversity for the College of Human Ecology and admissions coordinator of Hispanic recruitment. The office of diversity will also honor Lora Boyer, assistant director of the McNair Scholars Program, with its Champion of Diversity Award. We really encourage the entire campus community to attend this reception to honor these individuals who have done so much to advance K-State diversity, to contribute to the success of historically underrepresented students and to promote inclusion.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the College of Business Administration will host its 13th annual Diversity Lecture featuring Bernard J. Milano, certified public accountant and president of KPMG Foundation's Ph.D. Project. Milano will speak at 10:30 a.m. in Forum Hall. We are very pleased to have this representative of the Ph.D. Project on our campus, given its outstanding programs to produce multicultural doctorates in business. Also on Wednesday, the Alphas will hold their annual MLK Memorial Program and Candlelight Vigil followed by a hot chocolate social sponsored by the School of Leadership Studies. This year’s memorial will feature the taped interview of Homer Floyd and George Haley who were guests at last year’s MLK Fellowship Luncheon. They also were platform guests when King visited K-State in 1968. Many of you may recall that the Q-and-A session with these gentlemen was cut short last year. Now, the campus community will have a chance to hear this extended interview and more of their thoughts and recollections. Pat Hudgins and Ralph Titus did a masterful job of interviewing these incredible men. This is the debut of this tape and not to be missed.

On Thursday, Jan. 26, the MLK Fellowship Luncheon will celebrate the historic dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Capitol Mall in the program “One Dream Realized." A series of panels created by the Union Program Council that document the course of events leading up to the installation will be on view. Then we have a very special guest speaker in Harry Johnson, the executive director of the MLK National Memorial Foundation. Under Johnson’s leadership, this foundation raised the millions of dollars needed to make this  monument possible. Charismatic and accomplished with a nonstop speaking schedule, Johnson has an incredible insider’s story to share with us. If you were not on the Mall for the dedication, this is the next best thing to it – truly a not-to-be missed event. Admission to “One Dream Realized” is free and open to the public.

Luncheon attendees are encouraged to make their reservations early by filling out and submitting the reservation form at: http://www.k-state.edu/diversity/2012MLKLunchReservation.htm by Jan. 19. This form asks for your name, department and contact information for billing.

The week's observance concludes Friday, Jan. 27, with two events. The first is the five-year anniversary march to celebrate the installation of our own King memorial bust and the naming of 17th Street as MLK Memorial Drive. At 1 p.m., we will assemble once again in Long’s Park at Yuma Street and MLK Memorial Drive. After brief comments by various dignitaries, we will process down MLK Memorial Drive to the bust. Marchers are encouraged to make and carry signs addressing their own particular interests. Then at 2 p.m. at the bust, we will have our Laying of the Wreaths Ceremony. Wreath bearers are asked to report to the Multicultural Student Organizations office on the first floor of the Union at 1:45 p.m.

As you can imagine, many people have worked very hard to bring this lineup of King celebrations to the K-State campus. The planning committee is especially grateful to all the new and loyal supporters of the observance week activities, to all those providing wreaths, to Brandon Clark for helping us to secure Johnson for the luncheon, to UPC for creating the magnificent panels, to the Black Student Union and the Alphas for working on the march, to the colleges for bringing such outstanding speakers to our campus and the Division of Communications and Marketing for the Floyd/Haley tape. Nothing would be happening without the leadership of Mirta Chavez and the tireless support of the staff of the office of diversity.

We hope you will join us as often as possible for the films, the receptions, the lectures, meals, vigils, march and ceremony of laying the wreaths. Let's make the 2012 MLK Observance and Celebration a time of coming together, reaffirming our values and embracing our diversity while “Still Marching Toward Our Dream."

The 2012 MLK Observance Week Poster can be found at:
http://www.k-state.edu/diversity/2012MLKWeekPoster.pdf

Please pick up hard copies of the poster for display in your area(s) and address any questions to the office of diversity at 532-6276.

A calendar of community events can be found at: http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jan12/MLKCommCalendar.html

May you and yours be blessed with every good and wonderful thing this holiday season and always,

Myra Gordon, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Diversity
224 Anderson Hall