Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King walk with marchers in the James Meredith March of 1966.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be marked by the publication of a new encyclopedia on the civil rights leader; an Aurora Forum discussion with the man who was King's lawyer, speechwriter and confidant; and other events sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute and the Black Community Services Center.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Encyclopedia is based on the extensive historical research conducted for The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Under the direction of the institute's associate director, Tenisha Armstrong, the new encyclopedia draws on the institute's access to vast collections of primary source documents.
Stanford-led events commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. include the following:
"Global Peace with Social Justice" is the theme of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute's annual celebration from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15. The event will include a film clip on last year's production of Passages of Martin Luther King in Beijing. Actor Aldo Billingslea, an associate professor of theater arts at Santa Clara University; members of the National Theater of China; and members of the Stanford Gospel Choir will participate in a reading. The institute also will present its 2008 Call to Conscience Awards to the National Theater of China and Teachers 4 Social Justice.
"What Would Martin Say?" will spotlight an in-depth conversation with Clarence B. Jones, counsel and draft speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr. The Aurora Forum interview, conducted by Aurora Forum Director Mark Gonnerman, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in Kresge Auditorium. Jones is completing a memoir while in residence at Stanford's King Institute.
Staff from the institute will sponsor a King Trivia Quiz and interactive art creation as part of the King birthday celebration from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the San Mateo Caltrain Station before the 23rd annual Freedom Train to San Francisco departs at 10:52 a.m. The program is free; Freedom Train tickets are $5 and must be purchased in advance. Details are online at http://www.mlkscv.org/mlk-freedom-train-san-jose-san-francisco.htm.
Also on Monday, Jan. 21, members of the institute will lead an afternoon teach-in at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium titled "Martin Luther King's Legacy in His Own Words: His Messages to Us Today." The day will include a march from the Freedom Train at the Fourth and Townsend Street Caltrain station to a rally and day of teach-ins by community groups. Details are online at http://www.norcalmlk.org/2008/celebration.html.
Stanford faculty, staff and students will share traditional soul food with a twist on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at noon in the Tresidder Oak Room. The African American Staff Group is breaking from tradition and supporting BeWell@Stanford by serving a health-conscious menu of soul food. The event will feature student performers and speakers to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
"A Conversation with Julian Bond" is scheduled to be held 7:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at McCaw Hall, Arrillaga Alumni Center. The conversation between Julian Bond, long-time civil rights activist and current chairman of the board of the NAACP, and LaDoris Cordell, special counsel to the president for campus relations, promises to be lively and engaging. Students can follow the conversation with an interactive YouTube question-and-answer session. This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Black Community Services Center.
A description of some events can be found online at http://www.kinginstitute.info.
