December 14, 2006
For Immediate Release
For more information call:
Ryan Simmons (801) 863-6290
Megan Laurie (801) 863-7149
UVSC Celebrating 13th Year of Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration
Utah Valley State College will observe the 13th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration January 12-17 with keynote speaker Vincent Harding, an associate of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, now a professor of religion and social transformation at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colo. The Commemoration also includes a traveling exhibit of racist memorabilia, guest lecturers, discussions, a performance by the Calvary Baptist Gospel Choir of Salt Lake City, in addition to a presentation of the Donner-Galbraith scholarship and the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Justice and Human Dignity.
“The Commemoration is important because it’s a chance to remember that Dr. King’s contributions to our country didn’t end with his death,” said Ryan Simmons, English and literature professor at UVSC and one of the Commemoration organizers. “The issues he spoke out about remain with us today.”
UVSC’s Losee Center will host “Hateful Things,” a traveling exhibit of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University. The exhibit will appear on the fourth floor of the Losee Center from January 2-27. David Pilgrim, the museum’s curator and primary donor, will deliver a lecture, “Jim Crow in the Twenty-First Century,” January 12 at 1 p.m. at Centre Stage in the Sorensen Center followed by a reception at 2 p.m. That evening, the Calvary Baptist Gospel Choir of Salt Lake City will perform a variety of traditional and contemporary gospel songs and spirituals from the Civil Rights era, narrated by Rev. France Davis, in the Sorensen Center Ragan Theater at 7:30 p.m.
Keynote speaker Vincent Harding, an organizer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center, including the Library-Documentation Project and the Institute of the Black World, will speak January 16 at 1 p.m. in the Sorensen Center Ragan Theater. Harding will also participate in a panel titled, “Negotiating Conflict: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy in Current Issues,” immediately following his presentation at 2:30 p.m., with Bonner Ritchie, scholar in residence in UVSC’s School of Business; David Dominguez, professor of law at Brigham Young University and Elizabeth Borgwardt, a historian at Washington University. That evening, Borgwardt will speak on “The Genesis of the Modern Human Rights Regime” at 7 p.m. in the Liberal Arts building, room 101, co-sponsored by the UVSC Peace and Justice Studies program and the Organization of American Historians. Harding will also participate in a book-group discussion of his book Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero Jan. 17 at 11 a.m.
This program has received funding from the Utah Humanities Council. The Utah Humanities Council promotes understanding of diverse traditions, values, and ideas through informed public discussion. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessary represent those of the Utah Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Written by:
Kim Chapman
(801) 863-7011
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