Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where he delivered his famous, “I Have a Dream,” speech during the Aug. 28, 1963, march on Washington, D.C.
AMES, Iowa -- Throughout the month of January, Iowa State University and the Ames community will observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (Monday, Jan. 19) to honor the life of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights activist. All events listed below are free and open to the public.
"Let Freedom Ring" carillon concert
11:50 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, central campus
Carilloneur Tin-Shi Tam will play a musical tribute to King.
Community birthday celebration
6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, Ames Middle School (3915 Mortensen Road)
Festivities at the traditional Ames community celebration include a birthday cake and a program commemorating King's life and service. The program, which begins at 6:30 p.m., features a keynote by Edna Clinton, president of the Ames chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Martin Luther King Jr. legacy convocation: "One Vision, Many Voices; Join in, Speak Out!"
3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, Memorial Union Sun Room
Celebrate King's legacy and learn how his global vision for equality remains relevant today. New York Assemblyman Michael Blake, a former White House associate director of public engagement, will present the keynote address. The Advancing One Community Awards also will be presented. The awards recognize efforts to create an inclusive university community that embraces justice and equity.
"The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"
Presentation by Michelle Alexander
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, Memorial Union Great Hall
Alexander
In her book, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," author Michelle Alexander argues that systemic racial discrimination in the United States has resumed following the gains of the Civil Rights Movement and has devastating social consequences. Alexander holds a joint appointment at the Kirwan Institute of the Study of Race and Ethnicity and the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. She previously directed the Civil Rights Clinic at Stanford Law School. For several years, Alexander also served as director of the Radical Justice Project at the ACLU of Northern California, which spearheaded a national campaign against racial profiling by law enforcement.