Posted on Jan 7, 2009

A number of compelling activities – from films to performances to a computerized experience known as the Human Race Machine – have been planned to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with a cross-section of campus groups joining together as sponsors.

The national tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. this year is Monday, Jan. 19.

The Human Race Machine (large)

“We are doing events that will remind us of why we are celebrating the life of one man who lost his life while fighting to protect the lives, rights and future of all of us who believe in ourselves, our cultures and our nation,” said Karen Ferrer-Muñiz, director of Multicultural Affairs.

She noted that Reamer Campus Center will display a banner with the following quote from King: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”            

Here, a look at the scheduled events:

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium: “Tying the Knot,” an award-winning film on gay marriage by Jim DeSève. Contact: Prof. Andrew Feffer, feffera@union.edu.

Thursday, Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m. / Old Chapel: “From Auction Block to Hip Hop,” an off-Broadway play that chronicles the life of a young black entrepreneur. Contact: Black Student Union President Nadia Alexis, alexisn@union.edu.

Monday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m. (and continuing for six sessions throughout the day) / Strauss Unity Room, Reamer 305: The Human Race Machine, a computerized program, will give participants a new perspective on race by enabling them to see themselves with African, Asian, HIspanic, Indian, Middle Eastern and white facial characteristics mapped onto their own faces. Contact and reserve space: Karen Ferrer-Muniz, ferrermk@union.edu.

Monday, Jan. 19, 5:30 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium: PBS documentary, “Race: the Power of an Illusion.” Contact Karen Ferrer-Muniz, ferrermk@union.edu.

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 11:30 a.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium: Broadcasting of the presidential inauguration. The theme for the 2009 inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama is “A New Birth of Freedom,” which honors the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Contact: Karen Ferrer-Muniz, ferrermk@union.edu.                            

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m. / Old Chapel : “Léonora Miano: France's Hippest Afro-Francophone Writer.” The author will be reading from her latest novel, “Tel des astres éteints (Like Fading Stars).” Contact: Prof. Michelle Chilcoat, chilcoam@union.edu

Martin Luther King Day celebration January 2009

In addition, the Kenney Community Center is sponsoring a community service fund-raising project to benefit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which will be located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Throughout the year, members of the Union community who donate $5 for the project will receive a blue “Build the Dream” wristband and a lapel pin.

The memorial is conceived of as a powerful landscape experience that uses water, stone and trees to convey three fundamental and recurring themes of King’s life: justice, democracy and hope. For more information, contact Angela Tatem, Kenney Center director, at tatema@union.edu.