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Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2011 Events

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Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2011 Events

Interfaith Youth Core founder and executive director Eboo Patel will deliver the keynote address commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, January 17, on the Chicago Campus at noon in the Thorne Auditorium of the Arthur Rubloff Building, 375 E. Chicago Ave. This free and open-to-the-public presentation is part of a weeklong celebration of MLK Jr. Day that will include lectures, programs and panel discussions, an art exhibition, and music performances.

Northwestern will suspend all day and evening classes January 17 on both campuses for a full-day University-wide observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. (All other University operations will function that day.)

Patel is the author of “Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation” and a regular contributor to The Washington Post, USA Today and CNN. A former Rhodes Scholar, Patel served on President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. His Chicago-based international nonprofit group aims to promote interfaith tolerance and cooperation.

Patel’s address will focus on religious bigotry that is prevalent in today’s society and the power of symbols within and between faiths to unite and divide us. The January 17 Chicago campus program will include performances by the G3 Youth Gospel Choir and operatic vocalist Martin Woods, and award presentations to the winners of the second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Art Contest.

Other Chicago Campus MLK Activities

Northwestern University School of Law and Feinberg School of Medicine are co-sponsoring the DREAM 2011: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lecture Series, five consecutive lunchtime events or talks from Jan. 10 through 15, on the Chicago campus.

  • Noon, Monday, January 10: Dream Week Kick-Off will include unveiling of children’s art and the dissemination of T-shirts and programs for the week in the Law School Atrium, 375 E. Chicago Ave., and the Lurie Medical Building Atrium, 303 E. Superior St.,
  • Noon, Tuesday, Jan. 11: A keynote address about immigration, citizenship, and symbols of equality by 2011 DREAM Award recipient Salvador Cicero, Esq., in Room 140, Arthur Rubloff Building, 375 E. Chicago Ave. Cicero is the principal of The Cicero Law Firm, P.C., which provides affordable legal services to national and international clients and international consulting services to multilateral organizations. The DREAM Award is given to an individual who demonstrates sustained commitment to social justice and equality in the fields of law or medicine and their related functions, such as medical care, service leadership, policy change, advocacy, research and innovation, and/or community engagement.
  • Noon, Wednesday, January 12: Pro Bono and Community Service Fair, School of Law Atrium, 375 E. Chicago Ave.
  • 4 p.m. Wednesday, January 12: “Examining the Power of Symbols” panel discussion featuring Northwestern panelists Harvey Young, associate professor of theatre, performance studies, African American studies and radio/television/film, School of Communication, and Lane Fenrich, assistant dean, Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Kimbriell Kelly, senior editor, Chicago Reporter, will moderate the discussion. The event will take place in the School of Law, Room 150, Arthur Rubloff Building, 375 E. Chicago Ave.
  • Noon, Thursday, January 13: “What Does it Mean to Be White?” featuring panelists William A. Von Hoene, Jr., executive vice president, finance and legal, Exelon Corporation; Rick Kittles, associate professor, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago; Regine W. Corrado, Baker & McKenzie, LLP; and Destiny Peery, Ph.D/JD candidate, Northwestern School of Law. Dwight A. McBride, dean of The Graduate School, will moderate. The discussion will take place in The School of Law, Room 150, Arthur Rubloff Building, 375 E. Chicago Ave.
  • Noon, Friday January 14: “Commercially Prevalent, Conscientiously Absent: Native Americans in the U.S.” panel discussion. Olivia Roanhorse, policy associate at Ounce of Prevention Fund, will be among the panelists. Other participants will be announced soon. The event will take place in Hughes Auditorium, Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center, 303 E. Superior.

For more information on these and other Evanston and Chicago campus events honoring Martin Luther King Jr., visit www.northwestern.edu/mlk/.