Contact:
Leah Seupersad, 404-413-1354
University Relations
Tonya Cook, 404-413-1580
Office of the Dean of Students Intercultural Relations
ATLANTA— “Learning from the Dreamer… Making an Impact”—Georgia State University’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.—will include a photography exhibit, a musical performance, service events and a speech by acclaimed journalist and film documentary producer Lisa Ling.
All of the events, which will be held during the week of Jan. 16-Jan. 24, are free and open to the public. Ling, co-executive producer and host of “Our America” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, will be the keynote speaker at the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, at 3 p.m., Jan. 24 in the Student Center Ballroom. Ling’s speech is titled, “Open Heart, Open Mind.”
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| Noted journalist Lisa Ling will be the keynote speaker at the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation. |
Ling was a field correspondent for “The Oprah Show” and is also a contributor to ABC News’ “Nightline.” She was also the first female host of National Geographic’s Explorer series where she investigated the deadly MS-13 gang, went undercover inside North Korea and explored the drug war in South America. She is the co-author of “Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood and Somewhere inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea” and “The Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home.”
In addition to Ling’s keynote address at the Convocation, the GSU community will also recognize the 2012 recipients of the MLK Torch of Peace and Hosea Williams Awards for Community Activism.
“The annual King Convocation pays tribute to Dr. King for his work in the areas of social justice and human rights,” says Tonya Cook, program specialist for Intercultural Relations and event chairperson for the 29th Annual MLK Convocation. “Georgia State is excited to have Lisa Ling as the keynote speaker, an individual who is making a positive impact on a global stage.“
GSU will host a number of events during the weeklong King celebration, including the Rialto Center for the Arts will host the “Feed Your Senses: All that Jazz” event, featuring a performance by vocalist Gwen Hughes, at noon Wednesday, Jan. 18.
The GSU Community can participate in a community service project on Friday, Jan. 27 or learn about King’s historic 1963 “I Have a Dream” address at the “Intercultural Relations Goes 3-D: Dinner, Diversity and Dialogue” event at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23 in Room 460/465 of the University Center. For more information or to sign up to participate in a community service project, contact the Office of Civic Engagement at 404-413-1550 or visit www.gsu.edu/service.
Doris Derby, a photographer and director of African-American Student Services and Programs at Georgia State, will celebrate King and Black History Month by opening a photography exhibit at GSU Jan. 26.
Derby’s exhibit, titled “Sociocultural Integration and Salsa Dance in Atlanta,” documents the pioneers of Salsa dance in Atlanta during the early 1990’s. She depicts the sociocultural integration that occurred in Atlanta via a rich dance and musical phenomena that is rooted in Africa and has spread around the world.
The exhibit will be on display in Georgia State’s Student Center Gallery Lounge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, until Feb. 29. An exhibit grand opening, ribbon cutting, reception and artist’s talk will take place in the Student Center Gallery Lounge, on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 4 - 8 p.m.
The MLK Convocation is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students/Intercultural Relations.
For more information about these events, contact Intercultural Relations at 404-413-1580 or e-mail tcook3@gsu.edu.
Jan. 13, 2011