A variety of activities have been scheduled for the campus community on Monday-Saturday, Jan. 16-21, in conjunction with the college's annual Civil Rights Celebration Week.
A variety of activities have been scheduled for the campus community on Monday-Saturday, Jan. 16-21, in conjunction with the college's annual Civil Rights Celebration Week.
The week honors all persons and groups who have worked toward the advancement of civil rights and social justice, and has been organized in conjunction with the national commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16. Events will include screenings of the film "Better Life," the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Luncheon, a special chapel service and the Civil Rights Commemorative March.
Admission to all of the events is free, although advance registration has concluded for the luncheon.
The week will open with the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 11:30 a.m. in the Maas Center auditorium. Dr. Antwi Akom, a leading expert on the green economy, climate change, and educational equity, will present the keynote address, "What the Civil Rights Movement Can Teach the Climate Justice Movement: Re-Imagining Dr. Kings Message for Today's Eco-Visionaries." Akom is an associate professor of Environmental Sociology in the Department of African American Studies at San FranciscoStateUniversity, and during 2011 has been a visiting professor at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the Environmental Energy and Technologies Division. Akom's research focuses on the links between race, environmental health, and educational equity in cities and schools as a means to generate policy and planning solutions that improve community health, economic mobility, and the teachings and practices of community leaders and decision-makers. The luncheon is sponsored by the college's Office of Multicultural Education, Herman Miller Inc., and the Black Student Union. Advance registration for the luncheon took place in December.
The college's Chapel service on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 10:30 a.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel will feature readings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches. The event is sponsored by the college's multicultural student organizations and Campus Ministries.
The Civil Rights Commemorative March will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The march, which will begin at the anchor by Graves Hall and end at the first floor rotunda of the MarthaMillerCenter for Global Communication, provides an opportunity to commemorate the sacrifices and contributions that people of all backgrounds have made for freedom and equality. The march is co-sponsored by the college's Office of Multicultural Education and multicultural student organizations.
The Social Activities Committee (SAC) will present "Better Life" on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20 and 21, at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. in room 102 of VanderWerf Hall. The film tells a touching story about a father's love and the lengths a parent will go to give his child the opportunities he never had. Carlos Galindo, a gardener in eastside Los Angeles, always dreamed of a better life for his wife and newborn son when he crossed the border into the United States. But when his wife left him, Carlos's only goal became to make sure his son Luis would have a better life than he had. Together, Carlos and Luis embark on a physical and spiritual journey during which they discover that family is the most important part of the American dream.
The anchor in front of Graves Hall faces College Avenue between 10th and 12th streets. The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street. The Martha Miller Center for Global Communication is located at 257 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 10th Street. VanderWerf Hall is located at 27 Graves Place, between 10th Street and Graves Place (11th Street) and Central and College avenues.