University Newswire
UNCP remembers Martin Luther King Jr. with special events, Jan. 15-21
By Kean Spivey
UNC Pembroke will celebrate Martin Luther King Day this year with a series of events that will offer students an engaging experience.
On Thursday, January 17, the University Center Annex will host the Dr. Martin Luther Celebration Program that will feature a keynote speaker, live performances, award ceremony and a social.
On Tuesday, January 15, the SANKOFA African American Museum on Wheels, will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the University Center Lounge. The exhibit is free and contains more than 1,000 artifacts of the African American experience in the Americans from 1860 to the present.
UNCP students will celebrate with a Day of Services on Monday, January 21, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Approximately 100 students are expected to participate by volunteering at these sites: Riverway, Sacred Pathways, Robeson County Church and Community Center, Boys and Girls Club of Lumberton, Methodist Home for Children, The Haven Animal Shelter and Asbury Group Homes.
Eric Mansfield |
At the celebration program on January 17, the keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Eric Mansfield, a physician and democratic member of the North Carolina State senate. Dr. Mansfield, who is an otolaryngologist, ran for Lt. Governor in 2012, but lost the Democratic primary to former state Rep. Linda Coleman.
Robert Canida, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said he knew he wanted to choose Mansfield for the event after reading an article on him in The Fayetteville Observer.
“The article was just so moving to me,” Canida said. “I knew he would have a great way of connecting with our students.”
In addition to Dr. Mansfield’s address, there will be a presentation on Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech presented by Willie McNeill, a professor in the School of Education. This will be followed by a musical performance number by Voices of Serenity, UNCP’s student gospel choir.
The Dr. Collie Coleman Award will also be given out that night. The award is in honor of senior administrator Dr. Collie Coleman who passed away in October 2008. The award recognizes a student with financial need and good academic standings.
Housing and Residence Life will conclude the event with a social “Fit for a King.”
For more information about the MLK program, please contact Office of Multicultural and Minority Affairs at 910.521.6508 or email oma@uncp.edu. For more information about the MLK Day of Service, please contact the Office of Community and Civic Engagement at 910.521.6163 or email cce@uncp.edu.
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