This Friday marks the beginning of the College's nine-day celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Although students will only gain a reprieve from class only on Jan. 21, a wide range of events -- from theater productions to student discussions -- are planned for each of the nine days.
This year's schedule will include activities seen in past years' celebrations, such as addresses, films and musical performances, in addition to several new events.
Myrlie Evers-Williams will deliver the keynote address -- the centerpiece of the week's events -- on Monday. Evers-Williams was the first female chair of the NAACP, is the author of several books and is the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
"I hope she provides us with a good opportunity to look at the historical civil rights struggle, as well as how things are evolving currently," said Ozzie Harris, Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Diversity and Equity and coordinator of the week's activities.
Many other events will make their first appearance during this year's celebration, among them new awards and a number of student-sponsored gatherings.
"The Social Justice Awards are going to be held for the first time ever this year," Harris said.
He explained that the awards, which will be given in three different categories, go to alumni who "have been involved in working for social justice across the country and the globe."
Student-run activities are also a new focus. "We did try to do a little more to have events organized by students this year," said Assistant Director of Public Programs Christine Crabb.
In past years, she explained, the College typically scheduled its own events for the Monday holiday, when students would have the most time available to attend them. This year, student-run activities will dominate the day.
Complementing the keynote address on that Monday will be a candlelight vigil sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and a group discussion -- organized by the 2003 Class Council -- entitled "Seven Questions: Probing and Understanding Our Differences," which seeks to examine personal preconceptions.
Many other activities are sponsored by the Hopkins Center, the Rockefeller Center and the Hood Museum of Art.
One of these events, an exhibition featuring the work of African-American photographers from the late '50s and '60s who documented the civil rights movement, opened Jan. 12 and will run through early March.
The Hopkins Center will show a number of films in conjunction with the celebration, including "Gandhi" on Jan. 20, while the Rockefeller Center will present a dialogue on slavery reparations between Harvard professor Charles Ogletree and Boston University economics professor Glenn Loury on Jan. 23.
The theme for the week is "Transformative Acts: Following King's Footsteps in a Changed World."
"The theme is about how we transform ourselves as an institution and how nations are transformed," Harris said. "Given the events of Sept. 11, this is an opportunity to think about the meaning of peace and social justice, and what are our responsibilities in considering social justice."
Harris stressed that although the holiday is an occasion to consider and continue the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., many other civil rights leaders also deserve mention.
"This holiday is not King's alone," he said. "We recognize that there are many other people who have contributed to ideas of equality and nonviolence."
