Seventy eight years agodoctor in a hospital in Atlanta mistakenly wrote the name Michael on a new baby boy’s birth certificate.
Although the doctor couldn’t remember that this boy’s name was to be Martin Jr., it is unlikely that the world present and future will forget the name of the man who rallied Americans and led them into an era of that would finally begin to recognize the civil rights of all citizens. Seventy eight years ago this week, Martin Luther King Junior was born.
SMU’s annual weeklong celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Junior begins today.
The week of celebration, sponsored by the MLK week committee and the Office of Student Activities and Multicultural Student Affairs, reminds the SMU community to set aside time to commemorate and celebrate the life and dream of MLK.
The week of celebration will begin with MLK’s birthday party, held in the Hughes-Trigg Commons today at 12 pm.
The party will honor MLK with food, fun and music featuring the Voices of Inspiration Gospel Choir.
For those who may be in class at noon, there will be another opportunity to celebrate MLK today at the film screening of “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustir.” The screening will begin at 5:30 pm in Selecman Auditorium at Perkins School of Theology.
The film documents the life of Bayard Rustir, one of the most controversial figures of the civil rights movement.
Rustir, often credited with shaping MLK’s dream into one involving nonviolence and peace, was denied any praise for his involvement in the movement for one reason–he was gay.
On Wednesday, January 17, the SMU community is invited to attend the annual Unity Walk, which will commence at 12 pm. This event, in which the SMU community is invited to walk the Boulevard in a show of harmony and goodwill, will commemorate the relentless efforts of MLK’s followers to come hear him speak, no matter the distance they had to travel on foot.
Thursday, January 18, MLK Kids Day in the Hughes Trigg Theater will begin at 5:30 pm and last until 7:30 pm.
This event is dedicated to celebrating the diversity and many different talents represented by today’s youth.
The week will come to an end with a candlelight vigil held on Friday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
The closing celebration in the Hughes Trigg Varsity marks the end of the weeklong celebration of the inspirational man and his dream of a world with no prejudice.
