NC State’s King Commemoration Set for Jan. 16

North Carolina State University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration will be held Wednesday, Jan. 16. The campus commemoration will take place at noon in Stewart Theatre and will feature Dr. Dwight N. Hopkins, professor of theology at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. Hopkins, whose work focuses on the ties between religion and poverty, will give the keynote address, titled, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and His Legacy.”

At 4:30 p.m., faculty, staff, students and the public will gather at the Belltower for a moment of silence followed by a silent march from the Belltower to the African-American Cultural Center.

A short program will follow the march. Featured speakers will include James Hankins of Wilmington, N.C., author of “What We Blacks Need to Do,” and Rashad Hurst, a ninth-grade student at Hoke County High in Raeford, N.C., who received the President’s Award for Education Excellence and the Merit Achievement Award for excellence in algebra. Hurst will perform King’s signature “I Have a Dream” speech.

These events are meant to remind all of us of Dr. King’s message of inclusiveness, respect for and cooperation between people of all races,” says Dr. Jose Picart, vice provost for diversity and African-American affairs. “They celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, and help us to remember those for whom civil rights are still only a dream.”

Both events are free and open to the public. Stewart Theatre is located in the Talley Student Center on campus. The African-American Cultural Center is located in the Witherspoon Student Center on campus at the corner of Cates Avenue and Dan Allen Drive. Parking is available in the Coliseum Deck on Cates Avenue. There is a $1 fee for parking.

– peake –