Dartmouth is honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month with events centered on the theme of 鈥淎dvancing Democracy Through Dialogue.鈥
Among the special MLK-centered offerings is a keynote address by noted author and scholar on race and democracy , professor of political science and associate director of the Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Brown University, and a panel conversation with , including Maria Redcorn-Miller 鈥89, discussing their consulting in the making of Martin Scorsese鈥檚 film Killers of the Flower Moon.
鈥淲ith this year鈥檚 theme focused on democracy and dialogue, 天美影视 Rogers immediately came to mind,鈥 says , who worked with Rogers during her tenure as vice president for institutional equity and diversity at Brown.
鈥淗is latest book, The Darkened Light of Faith, helps readers consider democracy from the intellectual tradition of African American political thought. His keynote is sure to give the Dartmouth community a lot to think about in terms of what we can learn from past figures in reshaping American democracy鈥攅specially in the divisive times we are living in today,鈥 Delalue says.
鈥淭o honor Dr. King, we started with the idea of lifting up the principle that everyone has a voice,鈥 adds , vice president for culture, belonging, and strategic engagement. 鈥淭he ability to have one鈥檚 voice be heard is a core tenet of democracy. Dr. King鈥檚 legacy reminds us to listen to one another, work through differences, and find common ground.鈥
The keynote event, Advancing Democracy Through Dialogue: An Evening with Melvin Rogers, begins at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 in Cook Auditorium following introductory remarks from Delalue and Anthony Fosu, president of the Dartmouth chapter of the NAACP.
At Brown, Rogers teaches courses on democratic theory, the history of American and African American political philosophy, and pragmatism. His work is widely published in the popular and scholarly press, and is focused on the overlapping themes of character, culture, and politics in nurturing a healthy democratic community.
Rogers is one of three co-directors of The Democracy Project at the Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Brown鈥攁 project that promotes the study of democratic values, norms, cultures, institutions, and practices. Among his published works is The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought, and he is co-editor of African American Political Thought: A Collected History.
Rogers will also meet privately with students for a discussion moderated by Anna Mahoney, executive director and senior policy fellow in the . After his keynote there will be a post-event reception and book signing. Rogers鈥 speech will also be livestreamed. is required.
The full slate of events kicks off with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day employee breakfast at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, in the Class of 1953 Commons North Dining Hall. will speak on 鈥淒ialogue Across Difference: The impact of King鈥檚 Legacy on Democracy.鈥
The breakfast is hosted by the Department of Human Resources, and is requested.
In conjunction with the showing of the Scorsese film earlier this month, the is hosting the with Osage Nation guests at 5 p.m. on Jan. 16, in the atrium of the . Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, the film鈥檚 assistant creative director Addie Roanhorse, film artistic consultant and Dartmouth alumna Redcorn-Miller 鈥89, and actor Yancey Red Corn will discuss their role in the film about the 鈥渞eign of terror鈥 against the oil-rich Osage Nation in the early 20th century and its place in the historical record.
The panel conversation will be moderated by , curator of Indigenous art at the . The Office of the President, the Hood, Office of the Provost, Department of Native American and Indigenous Studies, the Irving Institute, and the are co-hosting the event.
A multifaith celebration lifting up the voices of students and featuring songs by the , sponsored by the , will be held in Rollins Chapel at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25. This multifaith service centers on the voices of students from diverse religious and secular worldviews as they share what King鈥檚 legacy means to them. For more information, contact the Tucker Center.
Other MLK events include:
- is hosting the annual 鈥淚 Am the Dream: The Past, Present and Future鈥 awards luncheon at 11 a.m. on Jan. 15 in Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center auditorium E and F, in partnership with Dartmouth Health and the Dartmouth Cancer Center. In honor of MLK Day and King鈥檚 legacy of justice and anti-poverty work, the Geisel/DH community, and the Upper Valley community are invited to help address food insecurity in the local communities of New Hampshire and Vermont.
- The will host a showing of Dr. King鈥檚 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥 speech on a continuous loop in Stell Hall at Tuck from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 15.
- The 天美影视kins Center presents the film at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 in Loew Auditorium in the Black Family Visual Arts Center. The movie tells the story of Bayard Rustin, an unsung hero of the civil rights era, a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, and Martin Luther King鈥檚 closest confidante鈥攗ntil deemed a liability to the movement because he was a gay ex-Communist. A discussion will follow with , lecturer of history, and , lecturer in religion.
- The is hosting a presentation and conversation on 鈥淗ip 天美影视 at 50,鈥 featuring writer and activist Kevin Powell, who has published 14 books including Who Shot Ya? Three Decades of Hip 天美影视 Photography. The event, which is open to the public, starts at 5 p.m. on Jan. 30, in 105 Dartmouth Hall.
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