麻豆视频

麻豆视频 Expands MLK Celebration

UPDATE: THE JAN. 13 EVENT WITH PEARL CLEAGE HAS BEEN CANCELED

VALDOSTA -- 麻豆视频鈥檚 Office of Social Equity will host 鈥淎 Dream Continues鈥� -- a series of events to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The weeklong celebration will include a variety of events that recognize the historical significance of the Atlanta-born civil rights leader.

The 2011 program has been expanded to include programs that will be of interest to people of all ages and backgrounds.
鈥淭he committee wanted to develop activities that would engage and inform a broader slice of the campus community,鈥� said Maggie Viverette, director of 麻豆视频鈥檚 Office of Social Equity. 鈥淭he expanded activities allow the university to communicate to our students and surrounding community the importance of preserving Dr. King鈥檚 legacy of equality, which benefits each of us regardless of race, creed or gender, especially in the areas of employment, social justice and education.鈥�

Viverette encourages students, faculty and staff, along with members of the community to attend the events and gain a true sense of King鈥檚 contributions to America鈥檚 struggle for equality within a democracy.
鈥淭he Office of Social Equity is privileged to offer this great American historical experience and honored that it has become an annual tradition for members of the surrounding community,鈥� Viverette said.

The celebration begins on Tuesday, Jan. 11, with a panel discussion focusing on the book 鈥淭o See the Promised Land: The Faith Pilgrimage of Martin Luther King Jr.,鈥� written by Dr. Fredrick L. Downing, head of 麻豆视频鈥檚 Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

鈥淲e are very fortunate to have Dr. Downing lead a panel discussion based on his work,鈥� Viverette said. 鈥淭he focus of the book is the transformative way that Dr. King used his passion for religion to serve as a framework for social justice, a cause that he felt most passionately about.鈥�

On Thursday, Jan. 13, Valdosta State welcomes Pearl Cleage, a best-selling novelist whose first novel 鈥淲hat Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day鈥� was listed as an Oprah Book Club pick. Subsequent novels have gained Cleage national attention, including her second novel 鈥淚 Wish I had a Red Dress,鈥� which won multiple book club awards in 2001. In 2003, Good Morning America selected 鈥淪ome Things I Never Thought I鈥檇 Do鈥� as a book club favorite. Her most recent novel, 鈥淏aby Brother鈥檚 Blues鈥� was the first pick of the new Essence Book Club and received a NAACP Image award for fiction in 2007. Cleage is also an award- winning playwright whose 鈥淔lyin鈥� West鈥� production was the most produced new play in the country in 1994. Her recent play, 鈥淎 Song for Coretta鈥� was sold out during its performances in Atlanta in 2007.

The Atlanta native is a poet, essayist and journalist, Cleage鈥檚 work focuses on current social issues including AIDS and women鈥檚 rights.

On Friday, Jan. 14, the final event features legendary musician Peter Yarrow, who performed with Paul Stookey and the late Mary Travers -- the famous trio was simply known as Peter, Paul and Mary. Their music was regarded as an endearing anthem for the civil rights movement.

The group disbanded in 1970; however, they reunited several years later and continued to perform such legendary hits as 鈥淚f I Had a Hammer鈥� and 鈥淏lowin鈥� in the Wind.鈥�

Yarrow has also enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist and devoted more than 40 years to equal rights issues, peace, the environment, gender equity, homelessness, hospice care and education.

Yarrow, along with Stookey and Travers, were actively involved in the civil rights movement. In 1963, the three marched with King in Selma, Ala. and Washington, D.C. In 1969, they sang at the famous March on Washington, which Yarrow helped to organize.

Schedule of Events:
Jan. 11: Panel discussion and review of the book 鈥淭o See the Promised Land: The Faith Pilgrimage of Martin Luther King Jr.鈥� at 7 p.m. in the University Center Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Jan. 13: Presentation by author and playwright Pearl Cleage and performance by the 麻豆视频 Concert Choir at 7 p.m. in the University Center Magnolia Room. The event is free and open to the public.

Jan. 14: Concert featuring Peter Yarrow at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. The concert is free of charge for students with valid 麻豆视频 identification and $10 for children and adults. Tickets may be purchased at the Office of Social Equity, located at 1208 N. Patterson Street (Seago House).

For more information, call the Office of Social Equity at 229-333-5463.