01-10-05

ISU Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration events set

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University and Ames community events will highlight this year's Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration this year.

Events begin with an 11:50 a.m. carillon concert on Wednesday, Jan. 12, on central campus. "Let Freedom Ring," which honors King, will be performed by Iowa State carillonneur Tin-Shi Tam.

A birthday party and musical celebration will be at noon, Thursday, Jan. 13, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. The university-wide event is a celebration of the life and work of King. Members of the musical groups Shy of a Dozen and Gospel Soul Innovators will perform. Speakers include ISU Provost Ben Allen, ISU Black Student Alliance president Shelley Whitehead and ISU Government of the Student Body president Sophia Magill. A reception with birthday cake follows.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, a community gathering called "Bodies and Souls Moving for Justice" will be held at Collegiate United Methodist Church, 2622 Lincoln Way, Ames. The event focuses on engaging King's challenges concerning racism, militarism and poverty.

The greater Ames community will honor King at a community birthday celebration at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 17, at the Boys and Girls Club of Ames, 210 S. Fifth St.

University offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The King celebration will end with a lecture by Keith Beauchamp on "The Untold Story of Emmett Till," at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 25, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. Beauchamp is a filmmaker whose documentary on the murder of Emmett Till was recently featured on CBS's "60 Minutes." As a result of his work, the U.S. Department of Justice last year reopened this 50-year-old murder case. Following a viewing of the documentary, Beauchamp will lead an audience discussion.

The 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Planning Committee, Black Student Alliance, Dean of Students, YWCA, Multicultural Student Affairs, music department, Margaret Sloss Women's Center, religious studies program, African American studies program, College of Agriculture, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Education, Boys and Girls Club of Ames, Student Union Board and the ISU Committee on Lecture.

For more information, call (515) 294-9934.

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