Auction, Service, 'The Meeting' Highlight MLK Week
A dramatic presentation of a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that builds on the theme “What Will Your Give?” will highlight Alma College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 17 through 21.
Workshops on social change, community service activities and a charity silent auction also will take place during MLK Week at Alma College.
The critically acclaimed play “The Meeting” is presented at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 in the Remick Heritage Center. The MLK Week keynote event is free and open to the public.
"The Meeting" examines a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
“’The Meeting’ is an emotional, clever and intense confrontation between these two men, their commitment to human rights, and the times in which they lived,” says assistant professor Laura Von Wallmenich. “Our theme comes from the play, in which Dr. King and Malcolm X address the question: What will you give to advance civil rights?
“It’s also an appropriate question for our students. What do we as individuals choose to give to advance social justice, especially at a time when many communities are facing economic hardships?” she says.
Presented by the professional theatre group Pin Points, the play explores what might have happened had Dr. King, a Baptist minister who practiced non-violent advocacy, and Malcolm X, a Muslim minister who believed in “freedom by any means necessary,” had met before they were assassinated just three years apart.
“The play explores the different philosophies and perspectives of the African American civil rights movement,” says von Wallmenich. “It illustrates that the civil right movement was not just Martin Luther King Jr., but is was a much more complex discussion in how we bring about social justice.”
Written by Jeff Stetson, “The Meeting” has received numerous awards, including a Louis B. Mayer Award and eight NAACP Theatre Awards. It has been produced throughout the United States and Europe.
Prior to the play, students will attend a series of faculty-led workshops that explore the realities of social change in the United States and provide an historical backdrop for students who plan to attend the play.
Other activities during MLK Week at Alma College include the fifth annual MLK Poetry Slam, a campus blood drive, and a silent charity art auction. Proceeds from the auction will be split evenly between the United Way and a student-nominated charity.
The artwork, donated by faculty, staff, students and community members, is on display in the Alma College Library through Jan. 21. The auction begins Jan. 18 and will continue through 7 p.m. Jan. 21, when the winners will be announced at a campus reception sponsored by Kappa Pi, the student art honorary. For information about donating art for the auction, contact Skip Traynor at traynor@alma.edu or (989) 463-7232.
All MLK Week events at Alma College are free and open to the public.
Jan. 17/The Voices of Thunder, a choir from African Methodist Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids, performs during the weekly Alma College Chapel service at 9 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Dunning Memorial Chapel.
Jan. 18-21/A silent art auction takes place from Monday, Jan. 18 through 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 in the Alma College Library, with proceeds donated to charity. All bids are welcome.
Jan. 18/Alma College Service Learning classes sponsor a campus blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 in the Stone Recreation Center Multipurpose Room. Call (989) 463-7971 to register or volunteer.
Jan. 18/Workshops that explore the realities of social change in the United States take place at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18. Topics include “Justice Is Hard: Race Relations in the Obama Era,” “Social Change” and “Beyond the Love: Martin & Malcolm.” The campus locations for these workshops will be determined.
Jan. 18/The critically acclaimed play “The Meeting” — a drama about the lives, philosophies and times of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. — highlights Martin Luther King Jr. Week at Alma College. The MLK Week keynote event begins at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 in the Remick Heritage Center.
Jan. 19/The fifth annual Alma College Martin Luther King Jr. Poetry Slam features an open microphone and audience participation by faculty and students reading original and published poetry at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 in the Tyler-VanDusen Rotunda.
Jan. 21/Students, faculty and staff are invited to join Phi Sigma Sigma to serve the Community Cafe meal provided by Sodexo through meal/point donations from students, faculty and staff. The meal is served from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at First Presbyterian Church in Alma.
Jan. 21/The campus community is invited to a closing reception for Martin Luther King Jr. Week at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 in the Alma College Library. The reception includes the announcement of the weeklong silent art auction, with proceeds donated to charity.
Posted: Wed, January 13th, 2010 at 8:33AM
