Multicultural Center

Martin Luther King Jr. Week
(January 24, 2008, January 28, 2008 - February 1, 2008)

The University of Rhode Island Multicultural Center, the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of the Chaplains, the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the Memorial Union, the Cognitive Dissidents, Anointed, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, NAACP, Uhuru SaSa, Black American Society, ICON, Hillel, the Departments of Psychology, Communication Studies, and Theatre, the African and Afro-American Studies and the College Writing Programs, and the Offices of Housing and Residential Life, Parking Services, and Talent Development, RI Public Broadcasting System(PBS), and John Templeton Foundation and the Student Affairs Diversity Committee will join forces to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Since 1986, the university community has observed the anniversary of the national MLK holiday through lectures, discussions, videos, musical performances and other activities. While the official holiday is commemorated on the third Monday of January, the University of Rhode Island celebration customarily takes place on the fourth Monday of the month to ensure maximum participation. Faculty are strongly encouraged to involve their classes and students by integrating these enriching programs into their courses and assignments. All events are free and open to the public.

You can download a copy of the programs scheduled at the link provided below. Please note that this is a PDF file (43 KB in Size). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.
Download Program Schedules [PDF File] [Download Time: ~15 sec on a dial-up connection]

An Overview of Events:

Thursday, Jan 24, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Thu, Jan 24	12:00 Noon - 1:30 Pm & 1:30 Pm - 3:00 Pm	"Prayer In America" - A Two-part Documentary Film	MCC 005
Description
What: Video “Prayer in America” Who: Co-sponsored by the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. When: Part I from 12:00 Noon – 1:30pm and Part II from 1:30 – 3:00pm Where: Multicultural Center, Computer Classroom, Room 005 Inspired by the book "One Nation Under God; A History of Prayer in America" by James P. Moore, Jr., this documentary addresses the role prayer has played in shaping the development and history of America. The two-part documentary explores contemporary debates about the role of prayer through the lens of history. By asking rhetorically, “how did we get here?” the show examines the ways in which prayer has contributed to and continues to shape the American experience. Extensive information about PRAYER IN AMERICA, including video clips, information about outreach activities in local markets, and more, is available at www.prayerinamerica.org. In addition, interview transcripts can be accessed through www.DuncanEntertainment.com

Monday, Jan 28, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Mon, Jan 28	7:00 Pm - 9:30 Pm	Multi-Faith Celebration - Open to all spiritual and diverse religious communites to share in sacred traditions.	MCC 101 Hardge Forum
Description
What: Multi-Faith Celebration Who: Co-sponsored by Anointed, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, the Office of the Chaplains, and the Multicultural Center When: 7:00-9:30 pm Where: Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum, Room 101 A service open to all in which students from diverse religious communities come together to share with each other readings, stories, prayers, meditations, testimonies, songs, or dances from their respective sacred traditions to celebrate the life and work of Dr. King.

Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Tue, Jan 29	12:00 Noon - 1:00 Pm	Unity Luncheon - Keynote address from Teny Gross, Executive Director, Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence, Providence, RI.	MCC 101 Hardge Forum
Tue, Jan 29	3:30 Pm - 6:15 Pm	"A Force More Powerful" - A film & discussion with Dr. Bernard Lafayette.	MCC 101 Hardge Forum
Description
What: Unity Luncheon with keynote address from Teny Gross, Executive Director, Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, Providence, RI Who: Co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center, the Office of the Chaplains, and the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies When: 12:00 Noon – 1:00pm Where: Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum, Room 101 To attend the luncheon, please RSVP to Mailee Kue at maileekue@uri.edu or call 874-5829. Seating is limited so please RSVP early! A communal sharing of food, song, and reflection in celebration of the legacy of ideas espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the significance of the legacy to the University of Rhode Island. The URI Office of the Chaplains will present the Second Annual Peacemaker Awards honoring a student or student organization whose goals and activities express their commitment to the pursuit of peace. The 2008 honorees are the URI Peer Advocates. Following the Awards, the event will be keynoted by Teny Gross, Executive Director, Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, Providence, RI, widely regarded as an innovator in working against diverse forms of youth violence. Under his leadership, the Institute employs at least 13 fulltime street workers and 40 nonviolence trainers to reduce violence in low-income neighborhoods, increase the range of productive options available to at-risk youth, and incorporate nonviolent behavior into gang culture. The Institute is nationally regarded by peer organizations, police departments, and political leaders as a model program. The event will be concluded with the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome,” led by Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Director of the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, and a close associate of Dr. King. What: Film – “A Force More Powerful”, with discussion to follow Who: Co-sponsored by the NAACP, the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the African and African-American Studies Program, and the Multicultural Center. When: 3:30pm –6:15pm Where: Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum, Room 101 Brandon Brown, President of the URI NAACP, will emcee this event. Come join us for a viewing and discussion for this film about the history of nonviolence. FILM: "A FORCE MORE POWERFUL: A CENTURY OF NONVIOLENT CONFLICT" - Part 1, "We Were Warriors" (1999, 2000, 30 minutes). Narrated by the distinguished actor Ben Kingsley, this is one of a series of six episodes describing the use of nonviolence and nonviolent social movements in altering power relationships, in transforming governance, and improving the quality of life for previously excluded populations among societies around the world, such as the United States, India, South Africa, Poland, Chile, and Denmark. Part I discusses the campaign to desegregate the downtown business district in Nashville (TN) during 1960 - an initiative regarded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a model for the civil rights movement. Among the heroes of the Nashville campaign are the Rev. James Lawson, Jr., who studied Gandhi's lifestyle, discipline, and tactics in Nagpur, India, and organized the intensive nonviolence training workshops for college students that led to success; Diane Nash, one of the most remarkable college student leaders of the era; and Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr., now Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence and Director, URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, and a member of Dr. King’s inner circle. After the screening, Dr. Lafayette, who is interviewed during the film, will be available for questions-and-answers. Faculty, staff, and students who have an interest in the movement -then or now - may submit questions in advance to mcc1@etal.uri.edu For faculty who wish to incorporate "A Force More Powerful" into their course assignments, additional online resources are available at: www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/series/ www.mediarights.org/news/article.php?art_id=00002

Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Wed, Jan 30	12:00 Noon - 1:30 Pm	"Anti-Semitism in the 21^st Century: The Resurgence - Video with discussion to follow.	MCC 101 Hardge Forum
Wed, Jan 30	4:00 Pm - 5:45 Pm	Kingian Non-Violence Workshop	MCC 101 Hardge Forum
Description
What: Video: “Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence”, with discussion to follow Who: Co-sponsored by the Department of Theatre, and the Multicultural Center. When: 12:00 Noon – 1:30pm Where: Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum, Room 101 Facilitated by Bryna Wortman, Associate Professor, Theatre, this video documentary and discussion address the origins and history of anti-Semitism, and posits the reasons behind recent attacks and antipathy expressed toward Jews. Medieval antagonisms between Christians, Muslims, and Jews, as well as the emergence of the nation-state of Israel and the impact of the Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are among the topics explored as underlying causes of anti-Semitism in the documentary. Dr. Robert Weisbord, Professor, History will assist in the Question and Answer session. What: Kingian Nonviolence Workshop Who: Co-sponsored by the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, Office of Parking Services, and the Multicultural Center. When: 4:00pm-5:45pm Where: Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum, Room 101 Facilitated by Sgt. Linda Palazzo, Office of Parking Services, a certified Kingian nonviolence trainer, this workshop provides an introduction to the theory and application of nonviolence advocated by Dr. King, based on the six principles of the philosophy explained in Stride Toward Freedom (New York, Harper: 1958); and the six steps presented in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In Why We Can’t Wait (New York, Signet: 1964). Refreshments will be provided.

Thursday, Jan 31, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Thu, Jan 31	12:00 Noon - 1:00 Pm	Songs for Civil Rights - Performed by Cognitive Dissidents.	Memorial Union
Thu, Jan 31	3:30 Pm - 4:45 Pm	Video: Strange Fruit - With Discussion to follow.	MCC 101 Forum
Description
What: Songs for Civil Rights Who: Co-sponsored by the Cognitive Dissidents, the Departments of Psychology and Communication Studies, the College Writing Program, the Memorial Union, and the Multicultural Center When: 12:00 Noon – 1:00 pm Where: Memorial Union, Main Lounge, across from the Information Desk. Experience the power of music and the songs that helped to change a nation in this historical musical journey through from slavery to the Freedom Rides, from lynchings to Civil Rights legislation and beyond to today’s national and international struggles for social justice. This is an interactive performance, led by URI’s own Cognitive Dissidents, a trio of faculty, featuring Drs. Steve Wood (Communication Studies), Paul Bueno de Mesquita (Psychology), and Libby Miles (Writing), inviting participants to learn the meaning of the civil rights movement through the medium of song. Featuring campus guest artists such as Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Shane Lee. What: Video: “Strange Fruit”, with discussion to follow Who: Co-sponsored by the School of Education, and the Multicultural Center. When: 3:30 – 4:45 pm Where: Multicultural Center According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, mobs lynched at least 4,473 persons in the United States, over 70% of them African-Americans, between 1882 and 1968. Facilitated by Dr. George Willis, Professor, Education, this prize-winning video documentary and discussion explores the origins and evolution of Strange Fruit, which became the anthem of the anti-lynching movement. Providing historical context, the documentary treats race, popular culture, and lynching as factors which enabled labor and the left to contribute to the rise of the American Civil Rights Movement. Shocked by a photograph of a lynching, a Jewish schoolteacher and union activist from the Bronx wrote the song, Strange Fruit, as a poem in 1938, later setting it to music. First performed at a New York City teacher union rally, the song and the writer were subsequently introduced to the African-American jazz singer Billie Holiday, who quickly decided to record the song. Initially refused by her regular recording company, she recorded Strange Fruit on Commodore, a smaller specialty label. Exposing the campaign of racial terrorism endemic to the American South, the song became one of the most influential protest songs ever composed.

Friday, Feb 1, 2008

Date	Time	Event Name	Location
Fri, Feb 1	8:00 Pm	URI Roots Music Series - Featuring Toumani Diabate & Symmetric Orchestra.	Edwards Auditorium
Description
What: URI Roots Music Series, with Toumani Diabate & the Symmetric Orchestra Who: Co-sponsored by the Department of Housing and Residential Life, and the Multicultural Center When: 8:00 pm Where: Edwards Auditorium Organized by the URI Department of Housing and Residential Life and facilitated by Michael LaPointe, Hall Director, this concert, featuring Toumani Diabate and the Symmetric Orchestra, continues the URI Roots Music Series. Toumani Diabaté, born August 10, 1965, is a kora player from Mali, who has gained international acclaim for his music. A versatile performer, steeped in the traditional music of Mali as well as flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles, he comes from an ancestral line of kora players including his father, Sidiki Diabaté, who recorded the first ever kora album in 1970. In 1987, Diabaté released his first album, Kaira, in the West. Recorded in one afternoon in London, the album is still considered one of the finest solo performances on kora. In addition to performing Malian traditional music, Diabaté has also performed and recorded in multicultural collaborations throughout Africa, Europe and the United States. With the flamenco group Ketama, under the rubric Songhai, he released Songhai I and Songhai II. Melding African and African American music, he released Kulanjan with the American blues musician Taj Mahal. His MALIcool was recorded with the American jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd. He also collaborated with the Icelandic popular musician Björk on her 2007 album Volta. In 1999 Diabaté released New Ancient Strings with Ballake Sissoko, followed by In the Heart of the Moon, with the late Ali Farka Touré, his mentor. The album won the 2006 Grammy award for Best Traditional World Music Album. Boulevard de l'Independance, an allusion to landmarks and events in Bamako, the capital of Mali, was recorded with his Symmetric Orchestra in 2006. The Symmetric Orchestra led by Toumani Diabaté is composed of musicians from west Africa, who play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, djembe, balafon and bolombatto, as well as modern ones, like the guitar and electronic keyboard.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Week 2008

Martin Luther King Jr. Week (January 24, 2008, January 28, 2008 - February 1, 2008)

Martin Luther King Jr. Week
(January 24, 2008, January 28, 2008 - February 1, 2008)