Webcast Available Live on January 10 and 12, 2001!
Use the RealPlayer© browser plug-in to receive a live feed of both events. Simply click here on Wednesday, January 10, 2001 at 10:00am or Friday, January 12, 2001 at 8:00am EST.
Need help? Visit the FIU Webcast Center for more information.
Martin Luther King, Jr Forum : January 10, 2001, 10am
Biscayne Bay Campus, Wolfe University Center Ballroom

This forum will feature guest speaker Kimme Weeks, a 19-year-old Liberian-born man who from the age of five was poor and fatherless in war-torn Liberia. Kimme has founded two children's organizations to fight for the rights of children. He has been an honored Ambassaodor at the Goodwill Games. Today, Kimme resides in the United States.

Use the RealPlayer© browser plug-in to receive a live feed of both events. Simply click here on Wednesday, January 10, 2001 from 10:00am.
  "Peace Walk" : January 10, 2001, (immediately following the forum).
Biscayne Bay Campus, from Wolfe University Center Ballroom to the bay.

More than 320 Miami-Dade and Broward students are scheduled to attend. Biscayne Bay Campus Events co-sponsored by the International Student and Scholarship Services Office and the Student Affairs Staff Development Committee.

10th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Breakfast: January 12, 2001, 8am
University Park Campus, Graham Center Ballroom

Master of Ceremonies will be Khambrel Marshall. Marshall is the former news anchor at Channel 6 Miami and currently serves as anchor for News2Houston in Texas.

The Keynote Speaker for this year's breakfast will be Patricia Russell-McCloud, J.D.

McCloud is the spell-binding professional orator identified by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the top five business motivators in America. Her most recent literary work, A is for Attitude: An Alphabet fot Living, uses the alphabet as a touchstone,

She has been an honored guest with choice corporations, foundations, and school districts throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Great Britain, South Africa, and West Africa.

Use the RealPlayer© browser plug-in to receive a live feed of this event. Simply click here on Friday, January 12, 2001 from 8:00am.

Media Contact: Barbara Rodriguez-Branas 305-348-2234

FIU Honors the Legacy of Martin Luther King

MIAMI, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2000) - Orator and author Patricia Russell McCloud will deliver the keynote address at FIU-University Park, and child advocate Kimme Weeks will speak at FIU-Biscayne Bay during the 10th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration themed, "Children: The Garment of our Destiny."

The three-day event will begin on Wed., Jan. 10, at 10 a.m. with the MLK Forum, which includes an address by Weeks at FIU-Biscayne Bay, N.E. 151st Street and Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami. Immediately following the address, Weeks will lead the audience in a peace walk that will start at the Wolfe University Center and end at the Bay.

The celebration continues on Friday, Jan. 12, at 8:00 a.m. with a keynote address by Patricia Russell McCloud during the MLK Breakfast at FIU-University Park, Graham Center Ballroom, 112th Avenue and Southwest 8th Street.

McCloud, who is based in Atlanta, has shared her inspirational message of self-empowerment with audiences in some 100 speeches worldwide. Her most recent book, A is for Attitude, encourages readers to adopt a fresh approach to personal challenges.

McCloud's vision and leadership led to the incorporation of The Links, a civic-minded organization of 12,000 African-American women that is dedicated to providing volunteer services for community needs in 40 states.

Born at a time of turmoil in Liberia, Weeks saw how the country's military made a concerted effort to recruit children for the purpose of war by seducing them with drugs and guns. At an early age, he dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of children. His consistent message of hope has allowed him to become a strong advocate against abuses committed by Liberian warlords.

In order to disarm children fighting in the Liberian war, Weeks served as chairperson for the Children's Disarmament Campaign. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Goodwill Games Medallion for Heroism in the Face of Adversity.

The Speaker's and Award Reception will be held on Thursday, Jan. 11, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the FIU-University Park Graham Center Faculty Club. In addition to welcoming McCloud, organizers will recognize FIU Service, Peace and MLK Essay award winners.

"I am proud that we are honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and helping to keep his vision alive," said Vice President of Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin. "This year's guests will underscore that Dr. King's vision can be accomplished through hard work and dedication."

Media representatives interested in attending should contact the FIU Office of Marketing and Media Relations at (305) 348-2232. For additional information on the events, please call Barbara Douglas at (305) 348-2436.

| Back to the FIU Website | FIU Webcast Center |