Oregon State University's annual Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration will be held Jan. 11-22 with the theme "Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere."
This 34-year-old celebration is one of the longest continuous events in the state celebrating the civil rights leader. The events at OSU are open to the public and most are free.
Joseph Orosco, director of Oregon State's Peace Studies Program, will kick off the celebration with a presentation and workshop on Monday, Jan. 11, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Horizon Room. The presentation is titled "Places of Injustice" and will focus on the question of places at OSU named after historical figures with ties to slavery and racism. Orosco is an associate professor of philosophy in the School of History, Philosophy and Religion, and studies social justice, political philosophy and Latin American philosophy.
That evening, a multi-faith prayer service will be held in the Memorial Union, Room 208, from 5-6 p.m.
A number of lectures, workshops and other events will be held throughout the two-week celebration. A full schedule is available online at http://oregonstate.edu/oei/mlk-events
Some highlights include:
Oregon State's Peace Breakfast takes place Jan. 18, 8:30-10:30 a.m., in the Memorial Union Ballroom. The keynote speaker will be Jeff Chang, executive director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University. The event also will feature the presentation of the Phyllis S. Lee & Frances Dancy Hooks Coalition Builder Awards.
Tickets will be available at the door, but organizers advise patrons to buy tickets in advance from the Memorial Union Information Desk, as the event regularly sells out. The cost is $10 for general admission and $5 for students; children ages 5-and-under will be admitted free.
These events are organized each year by a group of OSU community members convened by the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Binh Le, 541-737-4384; [email protected]
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