Events include lectures, book talks & a film screening with special guests former South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union Andrea Young, and more.
January 9,2022 (ATLANTA) — Morehouse College announced today the schedule of events for the annual Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. ‘48 Commemoration Week. With seven events spanning two weeks, Jan. 16-31, 2023, the celebration of King’s life and legacy is designed to educate the world on his historical and contemporary impact and engage the global community on issues of equity. All seven events are free and open to the public with registration at morehouse.edu/MLK-Week.
“Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach to nonviolent social change was cultivated while he was a student at Morehouse, under the tutelage of intellectual leaders who would ultimately shape his advocacy and activism throughout his life,” says Dr. Vicki Crawford, director of the King Collection, housed at Morehouse College, and coordinator of King Week. “The 2023 commemoration will tie King’s philosophy of the past to present day issues and assess a path forward in our collective plight for social justice, while using his foundational principles of non-violence, compassion, and equity.”
This year’s commemoration features discussions, a film screening, and community service opportunities that the College encourages the metro Atlanta community and beyond to attend. The schedule of events is listed below.
Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 a.m.: Bonner Office of Community Service Day of Service
Join the Morehouse college community for a day of service to commemorate the national Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Register at https://givepul.se/jz7q01.
Thursday, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m.: Martin Luther King Jr. Crown Forum – “Beyond the Superficial: Deep Calleth Unto Deep”
Speaker: Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee ’88
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m.: Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival Screening of “Unspoken”
Documentary filmmaker Stephanie Calabrese provides new perspectives on the historic Moore’s Ford lynching of four young African Americans in a 1946 Georgia town, shattering the silences that have distanced neighbor from neighbor for generations.
Location: Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
Sunday, Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.: Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday Vesper Hour – “Downward Mobility: The Slippery Slope from Service to Status”
Speaker: Rev. William K. Gravely ‘07, founder and lead pastor for Refuge Community Church
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 11 a.m.: Movement, Memory, and Justice Book Discussion – “His Name is George Floyd”
Join Toluse Olornnipa and Robert Samuels, two prize-winning Washington Post reporters, in a discussion of their book, “His Name is George Floyd.” This event is sponsored by a generous gift from the Mellon Foundation.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
Thursday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m.: Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture and Conversation – “Now is the Time: Perspectives on the Continuing Struggle for Justice and Peace”
Join in on a lively discussion on the modern-day struggle for justice and peace with guest speakers Bakari T. Sellers, former S.C. State Representative and national political commentator, and Andrea Young, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, moderated by Dr. David Wall Rice ‘95, professor of psychology at Morehouse College. Special music provided by the Uzee Brown Society of Choraliers and the Morehouse College Glee Club Quartet.
Location: Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.: Virtual Book Talk – “The Arc of Truth: The Thinking of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Join Dr. Lewis V. Baldwin, professor emeritus of religious studies at Vanderbilt University, as he discusses his recent book on Martin Luther King Jr.
Watch: youtube.com/MorehouseCollege
Learn more about Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Commemoration Week at morehouse.edu/MLK-Week.