Maddie Conley
Online Editor
Tomorrow marks 50 years since the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The School of the Humanities will be hosting a day of speech recitations, a Q & A panel, and discussions in honor of King.
“The racial tensions in the country at the present certainly speak to the need for continued reflection on what needs to be done, as well as action to address continued conflict and inequalities generated by the racial history and racial present of the country,” Dean of the School of the Humanities Peter Powers said.
Speeches from speakers such as Kim Phipps, Tiffany Burrows and Joseph Huffman will be given. Selections from King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, Address at the First Montgomery Improvement Association Mass Meeting and Beyond Vietnam will be recited.
SAB will hold a student-led discussion and reflection on the life of King in the evening.
“I’m hopeful…that students will be able to think about the application of historical awareness to their present lives,” Powers said. “Although King died fifty years ago, the issues he faced are both similar to and different from the issues we face today.”
The schedule for the day is as follows:
9:00- 9:15 a.m.
Speech recitation in Legacy Park (Jordan Atrium in case of rain)
- Speaker: Tiffany Burrows
- Speech: Address at the First Montgomery Improvement Association Mass Meeting
11:30- 11:45 a.m.
Speech recitation in Legacy Park
- Speaker: Kim Phipps
- Speech: Letter from Birmingham Jail
11:45 a.m.
Drop in lunch at Hostetter Chapel
- Heavy snacks
- No RSVP needed
12:00- 1:15 p.m.
Drop in presentation, panel and Q & A
3:00- 3:15 p.m.
Speech recitation in Legacy Park
- Speaker: Joseph Huffman
- Speech: Beyond Vietnam
6:00 p.m.
SAB student-led discussion in Hostetter Chapel