AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University and the Ames community will continue annual celebrations of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through virtual events in January and February.
Isabel Wilkerson, author of "Caste: The Origins
of Our Discontents." Photo provided by Joe
Henson.
Iowa State’s spring semester begins Monday, Jan. 25. However, the annual MLK Jr. Legacy Series begins a week prior on the holiday. The MLK Jr. community birthday celebration will take place 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, on the Ames/Story County MLK Celebration Facebook page as well as on YouTube.
Wayne Clinton, longtime Ames resident, retired teacher and coach, will serve as the keynote speaker. The Ames Human Relations Commission will present its annual Humanitarian Award.
The annual MLK Jr. Advancing One Community awards recognize ISU community members who are making Iowa State better while following the principles of Dr. King. Honorees will be recognized in an upcoming edition of Inside Iowa State.
An ISU campanile carillon concert honoring Dr. King will take place from 11:50 a.m.-12:10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8. Carillonneur Tin-Shi Tam will play hymns and spirituals.
The MLK Jr. Legacy Series keynote this year will be delivered by Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, National Humanities Medal recipient and author of bestsellers “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” and “The Warmth of Other Suns.” The convocation, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, on WebEx.
Wilkerson captivates audiences with the universal human story of migration and reinvention, as well as the unseen hierarchies that have divided the United States, in order to find a way to transcend them. She has become an impassioned voice for demonstrating how history can help us understand ourselves, our country and our current era of upheaval.
All events are free and open to the public. The community celebration is co-sponsored by the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Ames Human Relations Commission, Ames Police Foundation, Ames Public Library, Body of Christ Church, City of Ames, Wayne and Edna Clinton and family, Iowa State University Library, Rotary Club of Ames, Volunteer Center of Story County and YWCA Ames-ISU. The legacy convocation keynote is co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government.
Find more information about ISU lectures online or by calling 515-294-9934.