Historian Marable, author Sinclair to speak at MLK Day observances

Historian Manning Marable and author April Sinclair will be guest speakers on campus next week for two University events being sponsored in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sinclair will speak at the Hospitals’ ceremony commemorating the life of King on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Marable, professor of history and political science and director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, will be the keynote speaker when the University celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day at noon Monday, Jan. 17, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave.

“As in years past, for this program, we’ve striven to create a celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is both ecumenical and multicultural,” said Kathryn Stell, Deputy Dean of Students and Chairwoman of the Coordinating Council for Minority Issues. “We are delighted that professor Marable has agreed to take part in our commemoration of Dr. King.”

The event at Rockefeller Chapel will include poetry readings, dance, drama and musical performances. The Rev. Alison Boden, Dean of Rockefeller Chapel, will say an invocation, and a student will read passages from King’s writing.

Marable’s remarks will explore the enduring relevance of King and his applicability to today’s social-justice issues. Marable, whose public-affairs commentary series, “Along the Color Line,” is featured in more than 275 newspapers and broadcast by 80 radio stations in the United States and around the world, is an adviser to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He also currently is a national co-chairman of the Committees of Correspondence. His current projects include a new biography of Malcolm X and a book with anthropologist Leith Mullings on the themes of race, inequality and power.

The University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (773) 702-4829.

Sinclair, author of Coffee Will Make You Black (1995), Ain’t Gonna Be the Same Fool Twice (1996) and I Left My Back Door Open (1999), will present the keynote address at the Hospitals’ ceremony at noon Wednesday, Jan. 12, in Room P-117 of the Medical Center, 5841 S. Maryland Ave.

The ceremony will include the presentation of the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award to the Hospitals and/or Biological Sciences Division employees who best exemplify King’s commitment to fellowship, peace and justice.

This event, as in the past, will feature the gospel choir from St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School.

For more information, call (773) 702-1091.