University Libraries
An Important Anniversary
Today’s students might know the Frericks Center as the place to go to cheer on their Flyers’ volleyball team. What is not as readily known is the time the facility hosted a civil rights icon on a snowy November evening.
On November 29th, 1964, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took a multi-disciplinary approach to explaining the growth of inequality over time, providing historical and philosophical examples for its unfortunate rise. He employed optimism and humor, but balanced these with brutal facts and sobering statistics. While quick to recognize the progress that had already been made in the field of civil rights for African Americans, he was equally adamant about the further work that needed to be done to continue this forward march, to work towards an environment of equality and the ultimate end of segregation.
Please join the University of Dayton in the coming months as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rev. King’s speech and the continuing legacy of his work. This celebration will take the form of campus-wide movie screenings, discussions, and gatherings of fellowship.
From the University of Dayton press release:
The University will also commemorate King with several events in January around Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
Tuesday, Jan. 20
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. MLK Prayer Lunch, Kennedy Union ballroom, purchase tickets at http://tickets.udayton.edu.
Friday, Jan. 23
12 p.m. Two Societies Film Screening, Roesch Library.
7 p.m. Rhythm, Voice and Vision: In the Spirit of Dr. King, McGinnis Center.
Monday, Jan. 26
7 p.m. Kennedy Union Ballroom, University of Dayton Speaker Series Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Speaker and A Tribute to the Life and Contributions of Father Paul Marshall, S.M. Sr. Jamie T. Phelps O.P., former director of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies and the Katherine Drexel Professor of Systematic Theology of Xavier University of Louisiana, will speak on "The MLK Legacy and its Contemporary Implications for the Social Justice Mission of the Local and Global Church." Phelps will also give a tribute to the life and contributions of Marshall, former rector of the University, who died in July.
For more information on Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at 937-229-3634 and oma@udayton.edu.
- Erik Ziedses des Plantes, Circulation Specialist