Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day when, according to multicultural affairs dean Rod Bradley, the Lawrence community “takes time away from their schedule to appreciate all that Martin Luther King Jr. has done and stands for.” The Diversity Center, in league with Toward Community: Unity in Diversity, will be hosting their 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in the Memorial Chapel Monday at 6:30 p.m. Bradley continues, “The celebration highlights the importance of awareness, commitment and diversity as we strive to help improve human rights and civic engagement.” The festivities will be free and open to the public. The theme of the program will be “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” The program is scheduled to last one hour.
The program will include keynote speaker Eugene Kane, a seven-year veteran journalist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel with an award-winning thrice weekly column. Kane, a Philadelphia native, is a graduate of Temple University and a former John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University. He has received the National Headliner Award, the Sigma Delta Chi award, and the National Association of Black Journalists Award.
In addition, a performance is to be given by singer and recording artist Ken Daniel, Lawrence class of ’91. He has performed in a number of local venues and has toured nationally.
Toward Community will be awarding the annual Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award to someone from the Appleton area who has proven their commitment and awareness to diversity.
In November, K-12 students entered essays about subjects relating to Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. The winning essay will be read aloud and an award will be given to the author. The song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known by some as the “black national anthem,” will be sung.
The celebration will end with closing words and a public reception.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a holiday about giving service back to the community,” adds Bradley. On Sunday the Diversity Center will provide ways in which Lawrentians can do this. Interested students should contact the Volunteer Center at x6644 to find ways in which they can help throughout the year. Various volunteer opportunities include Salvation Army; Pioneer Village, a retirement living community; and the Emergency Shelter of Fox Valley.
Diversity Center to host 13th annual MLK Day festivities
