Ohio Dominican to Host Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events
January 3, 2008
COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio Dominican University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs will sponsor a series of activities on Monday, January 21 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“Dr. King is well-known for his efforts to educate and serve the community. In our efforts to honor his legacy, we thought that it was important to continue to educate our students on the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and provide them with an opportunity to serve the community,” said Cynthia McDonald-DeVese, Director of Multicultural Affairs.
A schedule of events is as follows:
YWCA Family Center @ 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Ohio Dominican students will be at the YWCA Family Center to engage in a community service project. The ODU students will be assisting children at the center with arts and crafts projects, and reading books to them. The YWCA Family Center serves as the front door for homeless families, providing emergency services and basic needs to any family in a housing crisis. The Family Center houses over 50 families each night, and also provides meals, assistance with finding permanent housing, and job placement services. Partnering congregations have an opportunity to cook and serve dinners for the families, using a spacious kitchen facility for food preparation.
Hamilton Hall, ODU Campus @ Noon
A video presentation of Dr. King’s historic public speech, “I Have a Dream,” will be played at noon in Hamilton Hall, the dining hall located in Erskine Hall on ODU’s main campus. The speech, given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 to some 200,000 civil rights supporters during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. In his speech, Dr. King spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites, among those of all races, would coexist harmoniously as equals.
King Arts Complex @ Noon to 3:00 p.m.
Ohio Dominican students will join in an MLK Celebration at the King Arts Complex, which will feature a menu of cultural activities to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King. Visitors will enjoy performances by community choirs and dance companies; participate in hands-on studio art projects; and experience the thought-provoking exhibition in the Elijah Pierce Gallery, among other activities.
Panther Plaza, ODU Campus @ 7:00 p.m.
The 1990 movie “The Long Walk Home,” will be presented in Panther Plaza, located in Erskine Hall on ODU’s main campus. A discussion will follow. The movie, which stars Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, chronicles the paths of two women during the 1955-56 revolution in Montgomery, Alabama, when blacks boycotted public transportation because they were forced to sit at the back of the bus. The movie will be hosted by ODU’s Black Student Union and Bridges of Diversity, two student groups which seek to raise awareness on campus about all aspects of diversity.
For additional information, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at 614-251-4694 or devesec@ohiodominican.edu.
