The College will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday throughout this week with a series of speakers, forums and performances scheduled in honor of the slain civil rights leader.
Chair of the 1997 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee Ozzie Harris said, "This year's series of events includes a number of motifs that reflect the issues Martin Luther King was concerned with."
Harris said he organized the schedule of events with the help of several College departments, professional schools and students.
"Working collaboratively with other departments, we've tried to pull in as many heads as possible," Harris said.
This afternoon at 12 p.m., Dartmouth alumna Lorna Hill will present "My Favorite Things," a changing menu of stories and songs from the African, African-American, and African-Caribbean experience.
Harris said the performance, which will be held in 105 Dartmouth Hall, is significant for several reasons.
Not only is Hill an alumna but she is also one of the first female graduates of the College -- which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary of co-education.
At 6 p.m. tonight, Cutter-Shabazz Hall will host a candlelight march in King's memory.
Immediately following, at 7 p.m. in the Moore Theater, Roger Smith will perform a multi-media production titled "The Huey P. Newton Story."
The play looks at the life, politics and polemics of Newton, the slain Black Panther leader.
The final event in the series will be a recital by Camellia Johnson this Saturday at 8 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium. The recital is expected to include classical selections, American spirituals, and a setting for the poem of Langston Hughes by contemporary composer Ricky Ian Gordon.
Several events in honor of King also took place last week. Last Thursday, the Hopkins Center hosted a screening of the Spike Lee movie "Get on the Bus," which chronicles portions of 1995's Million Man March.
In addition, the College commemorated King with a service held in Rollins Chapel yesterday morning and with a speech by Professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University Cornel West last night.
Also in honor of King, the Tuck School of Business Volunteers Program will be organizing a "Day of Service" within the Upper Valley today. Approximately 30 volunteers will help with several projects in the community throughout the day.
Volunteers will read stories and play games with children at the Green Mountain Children's Center and at the Dartmouth College Child Care Center, assist Habitat for Humanity in building a house, and walk dogs for the Humane Society.
According to organizer and Tuck student Jessie Washington, the idea for a day of community service came from former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.), who worked with the late King.
Washington said he hopes the day will become an annual tradition between both the College and the Upper Valley communities.
College President James Freedman explained the holiday schedule of events in a letter on Jan. 9 to the College community.
"I hope that the schedule of events will allow the entire Dartmouth community to gain a greater appreciation of Dr. King's legacy," he wrote.
King's birthday was declared a federal holiday in 1983. Although it is not an official state holiday in New Hampshire, this is the 19th year it has been celebrated by the College.
King devoted his life to fighting for the rights of the racially oppressed, poor, and otherwise disadvantaged.
He was born on Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta and was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, where he was assisting striking sanitation workers.
