Morehouse College will host a series of community events that will honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as the nation observes his 90th birthday.
Nine activities have been scheduled throughout the month of January by the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection to inspire the community to build interfaith coalitions and to get active in the ongoing fight against racism, intolerance, and social injustice.
“There is enduring power and relevance in King’s ideals for our times, though his vision of a beloved community has yet to be fully realized,” said Dr. Vicki Crawford, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. “The annual observance of King’s life provides an important opportunity to engage with his words, writings, and actions as we remain committed to transformational leadership and a better world.”
The 2019 Morehouse College King Month celebration kicks off at 9 a.m. on Jan. 19 with a talk by Rabbi Bradley Levenberg and Dr. Harold Bennett at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. The lecture “Messengers of Freedom: Torah Study and Shabbat Service,” will discuss the close ties between the African American and the Jewish communities throughout the struggle for civil rights and beyond. It will be held in the African American Hall of Fame.
Later that evening at 7 p.m., a new King exhibit will open for public viewing at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights at 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard in Atlanta. The exhibit, “The Meaning of Hope: The Best of the Morehouse Martin Luther King Jr. Collection,” will showcase letters, photos, speeches, cards, and other documents from the life of the iconic civil rights leader. The artifacts will be shown at the “Voice to the Voiceless Gallery.”
The exhibit opening will include a reception and a panel discussion with Morehouse College President David A. Thomas, Dr. Crawford, director of the King Collection, and Dr. David Wall Rice, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and director of the Institute for Social Justice Theory and Praxis at Morehouse's Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership.
King Month activities will continue on the campus of Morehouse College through Jan. 31. The lineup includes an interfaith candlelight vigil, a day of community service, two free film screenings, and much more.
The first film, King in The Wilderness, a documentary that details the final years of the civil rights leader, will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Bank of America Auditorium in the Walter E. Massey Leadership Center. The screening is courtesy of the Kunhardt Film Foundation.
The public is also invited to view the free documentary Rosenwald at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 at Bank of America Auditorium in the Walter E. Massey Leadership Center. The film tells the story of Jewish philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald, who established schools in the pre-civil rights era after being inspired by the work of Horace Mann Bond and his son, Julian Bond. Following the screening, the film’s director, Aviva Kempner, Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond, and celebrated poet, E. Ethelbert Miller, will participate in a panel discussion.
King Month at Morehouse will with wrap with a community conversation and an Atlanta University Center event that will feature a poetry reading and viewing of historical artifacts.
On Jan. 30, Dr. Eddie Glaude, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University and a distinguished religion professor, will visit Morehouse to share his insight on King’s contributions to the world. His talk will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Bank of America Auditorium in the Walter E. Massey Leadership Center.
On Jan. 31, the King observance will end with a special AUC community event at 3 p.m. at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. Archivists will present King Collection documents for public viewing. The presentation will be followed by a poetry reading by AUC professors.
For more information on King Month events, visit http://www.morehouse.edu/events/event-kingcommemoration2019.html