RSS
Facebook
MIAMI – Florida International University’s Office of Multicultural Programs and Services will be commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong celebration inspired by King’s life and work.
This year’s theme is “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the Dream.” The MLK Commemorative Celebration is one of the most anticipated annual FIU events on campus, with more than 3,000 people participating during five days of events.
One of the highlights will be the traditional MLK commemorative breakfast which will be held from 8 – 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 15, at the Graham University Center Ballrooms at FIU-Modesto Maidique Campus, 11200 SW 8th St.
The breakfast’s keynote speaker will be Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation’s most influential and renowned public intellectuals, who will address this year’s theme, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the Dream.”
Dyson, a professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, has been named one of the 150 most powerful African Americans by Ebony magazine and is an American Book Award recipient and two-time NAACP Image Award winner.
Dyson’s pioneering scholarship has had a profound effect on American ideas. His first book, 1993’s Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism, helped establish the field of black American cultural studies. Dyson’s first book on Martin Luther King, 2000’s I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr., made a significant contribution to King scholarship by recovering the radical legacy of the slain civil rights leader.
For more on Dyson, please click here.
Dyson’s books will be available for purchase and he will be signing books after the breakfast.
More than 500 guests are expected at the breakfast. Proceeds from the event go towards the MLK Essay Awards. This year, FIU freshmen had the opportunity to submit an essay with King serving as the inspiration, and compete for three prizes. The first place winner receives a $2,000 tuition scholarship, the second place winner receives a $1000 scholarship and the third place winner a $500 scholarship at FIU.
The weeklong celebration begins on Tuesday, Jan. 12, when the FIU Counseling Center will host a movie, What’s Race Got to Do with It?, followed by a discussion from 7-10:30 p.m. at the Graham Center, Room 140. The movie chronicles the journey of a diverse group of students participating in a 15-week intergroup dialogue program at U.C. Berkeley. The film goes beyond identity politics, celebratory history and guilt trips to help viewers “see through” achievement myths and create a safe space for open, honest exchange, particularly within educational environments. The event is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, Jan. 16, volunteers, including FIU students, will gather for a day of service. The MLK Day of Service will have about 150 student volunteers, working with students from the Yvonne Learning Center (YLC) of Little Haiti, the AARP, Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation department, Service for Peace and the FIU Student Alumni Association on a beautification project at the Fruit and Spice Park, 24801 SW 187th Ave. in Homestead. Students will be working at the park from around 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
FIU students also will attend the MLK Dinner in Room 243 of the Graham University Center on the Modesto Maidique Campus on Tuesday, Jan.19. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karlyn Hylton will be the speaker. The dinner is sponsored by Residential Life and Student Organizations.
The celebration concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., when the Biscayne Bay Campus will host the MLK Youth Forum and Peace Walk at the Wolfe University Center Ballroom, 3000 NE 151st St. in North Miami. More than 200 students from several Miami Dade County Public Schools will attend the event.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Pedro Jose “Joe” Greer, chair of the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine’s Department of Humanities, Health & Society and recipient of this nation’s highest civilian honor – the Presidential Medal of Freedom – which he received in a ceremony at the White House in August.
Greer is a pioneer in creating health care programs for persons facing homelessness and poverty. He promotes action surrounding the policies and ethics of homelessness and poverty. At the College of Medicine, Greer oversees unique educational programs which aim to develop highly skilled, ethical, culturally competent physicians socially accountable to our communities.
A recipient of the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Greer has advised both the Bush Sr. and Clinton administrations on issues of healthcare and poverty. He has published articles ranging from digestive and liver disorders to policy and poverty in America, as well as the book, Waking Up in America.
For more on Greer, please click here.
The sponsors for this year’s MLK Commemorative Celebration include GEICO, Baptist Health South, Florida University Credit Union, and ARAMARK. University sponsors include the Student Government Association- BBC and MMC, Graham University Center, Wolfe University Center, Housing and Residential Life, and the Center for Leadership and Service.
For more event or ticket information, contact the Office of Multicultural Programs at 305-348-2436.
Media Contact: Madeline Baró at 305-348-2234.
-FIU-
About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.
Our most impactful research: