If given the chance, what would you say to one of the great leaders of the civil rights movement? That's the question being asked in a creative writing project and exhibition that is part of a five-day program on campus commemorating the life and work of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK).
Yale's MLK celebration, which will take place Jan. 12-16, will also include opportunities for community service, as well as lectures, performances, films and other activities.
The campus tribute to King is co-sponsored and coordinated by the Coalition for Diversity at Yale (coalition.diversity@yale.edu), a group of faculty, staff and students working to foster an educational and work environment that embraces and promotes diversity and equity at all levels of the institution.
This year's program includes:
All Yale staff, students and faculty and all residents of the Greater New Haven community are invited to participate in a public written reflection on King's life and vision. Individuals are invited to submit a one-page note or letter addressed to King, Yale or the City of New Haven in response to one of the following quotations:
* "There is no easy way to create a world where men and women can live together, where each has his own job and house and where all children receive as much education as their minds can absorb. It will be done by rejecting racism, materialism and violence that has characterized Western civilization and especially by working toward a world of brotherhood, cooperation and peace." (From King's essay "Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom," published in Ebony magazine, Oct. 21, 1966.)
* "What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love." (From King's speech "Where Do We Go from Here?" delivered at the 11th convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on Aug. 16, 1967, in Atlanta, Georgia.)
The collected writings will be posted during the MLK program in the Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. To make a submission or for further information, contact Karilyn Crockett, the Magee Fellow at Dwight Hall, at karilyn.crockett@yale.edu.
Members of the Yale community are encouraged to honor King's contributions to society by volunteering for the "Strengthening Communities: Service Opportunities" program during the weekend proceeding MLK Day. The event is sponsored by Dwight Hall and the Coalition for Diversity at Yale.
There will be volunteer opportunities at various agencies, including (but not limited to) the Connecticut Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House, Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History, Eli Whitney Museum and the city's public schools. Individuals, groups and departments can volunteer by contacting Hannah Croasmun at hannah.croasmun@yale.edu.
All volunteers will be invited to take part in a program titled "Strengthening Communities: Closing Reflection" on Monday, Jan. 16, at 5 p.m. in the Dwight Hall common room, 67 High St. The program aims to provide volunteers a time of reflection upon their work over the MLK weekend and on King's legacy. Refreshments will be served.
The Health Minority Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) will celebrate King's life and essential writings at a "Birthday Party for MLK Jr." taking place 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, in the first-floor lounge of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College St.
The event will include readings and toasts by administrators, faculty, staff and students. Wine, hors d'oeuvres and birthday cake will be served. The event is free and open to the public.
King once said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."
A community health forum titled "Equity in Our Time," looking at some of the issues still facing underserved communities, will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, in Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 1324 Chapel St.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the African American Legacy Council of the Communities of Color Initiative at the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, the Connecticut Health Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Scholars Program at the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, EPH's Minority Affairs Committee and the Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church.
Participants will include: Sanford Cloud Jr., president of The National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly The National Conference of Christians and Jews); Juan Figueroa, president of the Universal Healthcare Foundation of Connecticut, and president and general counsel of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York City; Margaret Grey, dean and the Annie Goodrich Professor at the School of Nursing, a internationally known researcher in the natural history of adaptation to chronic illness in childhood, especially in children with diabetes mellitus; Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz, the Harold H. Hines Jr. Professor of Internal Medicine (cardiology), professor of EPH, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and director of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, whose research focuses on determining optimal clinical strategies and identifying opportunities for improvement in the prevention, treatment and outcome of cardiovascular disease; Joyce Poole, executive director of the AIDS Interfaith Network; and state senator Toni Nathaniel Harp, who introduced a bill (which was passed unanimously) designed to assist economically vulnerable senior citizens with health care payments in Connecticut. In honor of her contributions to health equity and her community leadership, Harp will be awarded the AAL Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed Medal.
The following performances will take place during Yale's MLK program:
"Alturas Duo -- A South American Tribute" will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, in Sudler Recital Hall of William L. Harkness Hall, 100 Wall St. The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by La Casa Cultural Center and Coalition for Diversity at Yale.
The duo -- whose instruments include the viola, charango and guitar -- perform works ranging from J.S. Bach to South American folk rhythms and new music. They have performed and lectured across the United States, Canada, Bolivia and Chile. In honor of King's work toward freedom and justice and against violence, the musicians will perform selections inspired by a struggle in South America. They will explain the influence of the "La Nueva Cancion" ("The New Song") on the piece "5 Fachadas" by Javier Farias and discuss the struggles that the artists who promoted it encountered during the military dictatorship in Chile.
The MLK Jr. Gospel Extravaganza 2006 will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Battell Chapel, corner of College and Elm streets. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for students with I.D. The concert is sponsored by the Black Church at Yale and the Coalition for Diversity at Yale
Now in its third year, the Gospel Extravaganza pays tribute to King through song, dance and praise. Performers will include the Yale Gospel Choir, jazz and gospel violinist Kersten Stevens, WORD, the Gamma Phi Delta Christian Fraternity Inc. and members of the Greater New Haven community, including Dee Dee's Dance Center, the Kergyma Gospel Choir, the Union Baptist Church Warriors of Praise Mime Ministry and the New Vision Baptist Church of Bridgeport Praise Team. A surprise performance by a nationally acclaimed recording gospel artist will also top the bill.
The MLK Jazz Brunch will take place 9-11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, in the McDougal Graduate Student Center common room, Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. The event is free and open to the Yale community.
The program of jazz music and brunch will kick off a day of community service to honor King's legacy of serving the community. The event is sponsored by the Yale Graduate School Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity and the McDougal Graduate Student Center. For further information, contact the Office for Diversity at (203) 432-0763 or pat.cabral@yale.edu.
Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History, at 170 Whitney Ave., will once again offer free admission to all during its annual two-day tribute to King.
Titled "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice 2006," the celebration will take place noon-4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, and 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16.
Now in its 10th year, the program salutes King's tireless effort to promote equality for, and harmony between, all people -- particularly his work to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities. In celebration of the progress that has been made in these areas, and that will continue to be made in the future, the Peabody is presenting a variety of activities that include music, dance, children's storytelling, the annual poetry slams, and a grand finale drum circle. A complete schedule is available at www.peabody.yale.edu.
The Peabody Museum is also one of the sponsors of the annual Arnold J. Alderman Memorial Lecture, which this year will be held in Sprague Hall. (See related item, below.)
The program is sponsored by Citizen's Bank, the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the Yale Office of New Haven and State Affairs, and Connecticut Transit.
The fifth annual Arnold J. Alderman Memorial Lecture, titled "And, There Are Those of Us Who Straddle ... Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement" will be presented by scholar and artist Bernice Johnson Reagon at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, in Sprague Memorial Hall, corner of College and Wall streets.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Yale's Peabody Museum and School of Music, as well as Susan and Barry Buxbaum, Laury and Edward Walker, Harold and Claudia Alderman, and Sydney and Tony Perry.
For more than 40 years Reagon has been a major cultural voice for freedom and justice as a singer, teacher and outspoken critic of racism and organized inequities of all kinds. Her work, illuminating the transformative power of traditional African-American music, is considered seminal to the study of this tradition. Early in 2004, Reagon retired from the acclaimed African-American women's a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, which she founded in 1973. She is currently professor emeritus of history at American University and curator emeritus at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Her pioneering work has been recognized with the Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities, the Leeway National Award for Women in the Arts, the Presidential Medal for contribution to public understanding of the humanities and a MacArthur Fellowship.
"Habitat for Humanity: Building on the Dream" will celebrate King's legacy through a day of service on Monday, Jan. 16.
Volunteers are invited to work on Habitat's sites in the New Haven community. The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with donuts, coffee and a small opening benediction. Volunteers will work on the houses for three hours, eat lunch (which will be provided) and attend a 2 p.m. closing ceremony centered on King's life and message. Habitat also welcomes donations to help defray the cost of construction that day.
Individuals interested in volunteering should contact Jennifer Rook, Habitat's volunteer coordinator, at jrook@habitatgnh.org or (203) 785-0794, ext. 10.
The event is co-sponsored by the Coalition for Diversity at Yale.
"On Heroism -- A Tribute to Rosa Parks" will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, in the gallery room of the Afro-American Cultural Center (AACC), 211 Park St. The event is free and open to the public.
The program will feature commemorative lectures honoring the black seamstress woman who -- in defiance of then-existing law -- refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her action and subsequent arrest set off a series of events that gave birth to the civil rights movement led by King.
Parks, who died on Oct. 24 at age 92, has been described as a heroine. The AACC talks will examine the role of the hero in today's world by asking such questions as: What is a hero? How do they capture the attention -- and imagination -- of people? What made Parks' actions heroic, and where might African Americans stand had she not acted? Who are other heroes and heroines of modern times that might have escaped notice or attention?
For more information, contact Chike Brandon Ogbunugafor, graduate assistant at the AACC, at chike.brandon@yale.edu.
"The Children's March," a documentary film about a milestone event in the civil rights movement, will be screened as part of the program "Realizing Race: Even the Smallest Heroes," taking place at noon on Monday, Jan. 16, at the Rose Community Center, 101 Ashmun St. (corner of Locke).
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Realizing Race, a Yale student group dedicated to promoting dialogue about race on campus, and by the Coalition for Diversity at Yale.
The film, produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center, looks at the event that occurred in the spring of 1963, when over 3,000 elementary, middle and high school students congregated in Birmingham, Alabama, for the express purpose of being arrested and filling the city's jails in an act of civil protest against segregation and racism. The event helped refocus national attention on the civil rights movement.
Following the screening, members of Realizing Race will lead a discussion about the power that can be found within all individuals, the power of resistance and how this power can be used to ignite change by even the young.
The program is recommended for students age 14 and above.
A talk titled "'Until you are what you ought to be': Remembering Dr. King; Rekindling Hope" will be presented by scholar and author Jan Willis of Wesleyan University at 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, in the Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St.
Willis is professor of religion and the Walter A. Crowell Professor of the Social Sciences at Wesleyan University. She has studied with Tibetan Buddhists in India, Nepal, Switzerland and the United States for more than three decades, and has taught courses in Buddhism for over 25 years. One of the earliest American scholar-practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, Willis has published numerous essays and articles on Buddhist meditation, hagiography, women and Buddhism, and Buddhism and race. Her latest published project was the memoir "Dreaming Me: An African American Woman's Spiritual Journey." In 2000, Time magazine named Willis one of six "spiritual innovators for the new millennium."
At Yale, Willis will talk about King's legacy of non-violent engagement and will read an excerpt from "Dreaming Me" about marching with King in 1963.
T H I S
Writing to MLK
"Strengthening Communities"
MLK Birthday party
Health equity forum
Music fit for a King
Peabody's MLK celebration
"Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement"
"Building on the Dream"
Rosa Parks tribute
"Even the Smallest Heroes"
"Rekindling Hope"
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Pepper stepping down as Yale V.P.
INTERNATIONAL YALE
Trip strengthens Yale-Japan ties
Fox Fellowship Program expands reach and focus
Initiative to develop new U.S.-India collaborationsStudent is embodiment of 'Life Transformed'
Matching contribution program for hurricane relief exceeds expectations
Campus events celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
Images of sky reveal many large galaxies have merged
Scientists map complex cell signaling network
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
NIF will serve as guide to online neuroscience resources
New evidence supports a century-old theory . . .
Study reveals disparities between short- and long-term survival . . .
Study finds link between HIV rates, incarcerationNew Law School website lists global provisions for protection of children
Famous circus attraction is highlight of Peabody exhibit
The art of cut-and-paste
YCIAS program to explore the theme 'Cuba from Within'
Bromley tribute
Dean Speth's 'Red Sky at Morning' wins Connecticut Book Award
Alexandrov wins MLA prize for his book about 'Anna Karenina'
In Memoriam: Dr. Charles F. McKhann
Japanese officials and Yale experts discuss programs . . .
Campus Notes
Security Procedures for Recess
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home