MLK Week: Julian Bond to connect history to today’s struggles

Civil rights activist, historian and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People board chairman Julian Bond will deliver the keynote address at the University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service, scheduled for noon on Monday, Jan. 15, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 1156 E. 59th St. Bond’s speech will anchor the University’s weeklong commemoration, beginning Monday, Jan. 8, of the life and work of King.

An opening reception featuring Teresa Hord Owens, Dean of Students in the Divinity School, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 8 in Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St. Owens will kick off the week of activities with a portion of the King’s historic speech against the Vietnam war that he gave in 1967 from New York’s Riverside Church.

Ana Vazquez, Director of the University’s Office of Minority Student Affairs and Deputy Dean of Students, said this year’s events shed a contemporary light on many of the issues King worked on during his lifetime, including educational inequality, unfair housing policies, continued political conflicts and warfare.

“For some, the civil rights movement is something you read about in history books. We want to connect history with the present struggles for many members of our nation. Therefore, this year’s keynote address will be given by someone who has lived and led during the civil rights movement and continues to provide political and civic leadership on issues that are yet unresolved,” Vazquez said. “Julian Bond is a perfect fit. Not only does he understand the historical underpinnings of the civil rights movement, but he also continues to challenge and lead us on local and national issues.”

Currently a distinguished adjunct professor in residence at American University in Washington, D.C. and a professor of history at the University of Virginia, Bond has served as NAACP board chairman since 1998. While a student in 1960 at King’s undergraduate alma mater, Morehouse College, Bond helped found the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in Atlanta and served as its communications director, leading student protests against segregation in public facilities in Georgia and voter registration drives throughout the south. Bond also was the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center and remains on the organization’s board of directors.

Bond spent more than two decades in the Georgia General Assembly. Although he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965, some members objected to his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War and prevented Bond from taking his legislative seat. He ultimately gained the seat after the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in his favor.

In 1968, he co-chaired the Loyalists group, a Georgia-based, challenge delegation to the Democratic National Convention. The challengers successfully unseated Georgia’s regular delegates. Bond was nominated for Vice President of the United States, but withdrew his name from consideration because he was too young to serve.

Son of University of Chicago alumni, Horace Mann Bond (M.A.T. 26’, PH.D. 36’), Bond currently is a commentator on America’s Black Forum, the oldest black-owned television show in syndication. His poetry and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Bond also has narrated several documentaries, including the Academy-Award winning “A Time for Justice.”

Please visit http://mlk.uchicago.edu for more information on the events, or http://www.apbspeakers.com for more information on Bond. All events are free and open to the public.

ACTIVITIES:

Monday, Jan. 8

MLK Week Opening Ceremony
Terri Owens, Dean of Students in the University’s Divinity School, will deliver a portion of King’s Riverside Sermon.
4 to 6 p.m.
Ida Noyes Hall Ð Third Floor Theatre, 1212 E. 59th St.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Let Justice Roll Down Like Water: Library Resources on Civil Rights
The University’s library system will highlight many of its resources related to African-American history, King’s work and the civil rights movement. Visitors will have the opportunity to read newspaper articles about the civil rights movement, hear live speeches and sermons delivered by King, and watch a short documentary on the rise and fall of “race films,” the black-directed, all black-cast films that were made before 1950 for segregated African-American audiences.
12 to 2 p.m. Ð Open house
3 to 4 p.m. Ð Screening of Midnight Ramble
Joseph Regenstein Library, Room A-11, 1100 E. 57th St.

Community Panel on Housing
A panel discussion and a viewing of the documentary film You Are Here, produced by University students will explore the history of the University in relation to the surrounding community.
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
International House, Assembly Hall, 1414 E. 59th St.

Wednesday, Jan. 10

War and Moral Imperative Panel
Panelists will reflect on King’s antiwar views, with the sermon at Riverside Church (April 1967) as the starting point for conversation.
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Swift Hall, Third Floor Lecture Hall, 1025 E. 58th St.

Thursday, Jan. 11

Faculty Debate on Education
Two University faculty members will debate the greatest challenge facing Chicago Public Schools’ students of color in the 21st century.
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Graduate School of Business Hyde Park Center, Room 104-A, 5807 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Friday, Jan. 12

Roots & Rhymes III: A Multicultural Celebration
Live music, vibrant dance, spoken-word and other forms of artistic expression will be featured in this event. Campus performers and artists will include The Bhangra Team, Unaccompanied Women, The Gingarte Capoeira Group and Travis. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.
The University of Chicago International House, Assembly Hall, 1414 E. 59th St.

Saturday, Jan. 13

MLK Day of Service
Opportunities to volunteer throughout the city will be available. Registration may be completed through the University Community Service Center’s Web site at http://ucsc.uchicago.edu/.

Sunday, Jan. 14

Historic South Side Bus Tour
Harold Lucas, CEO of the Black Metropolis Convention & Tourism Council, will lead bus tours at three separate times, in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tours will include viewing locations that were integral to the civil rights movement and King’s work in Chicago.
12 to 4 p.m.
Buses will depart from the Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave.

Monday, Jan. 15

Memorial Service with Keynote Address
Julian Bond, Chairman of the Board of the NAACP, will reflect on the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 11a.m.
12 to 1 p.m.
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 1156 E. 59th St.

MLK Day Reception
Memorial Service attendees are invited to enjoy refreshments and meet the keynote speaker Julian Bond.
1 to 3 p.m.
Ida Noyes Hall, Third Floor Theatre, 1212 E. 59th St.