Related Events

Opening day programs

All events are in the Dolly Fiterman Riverview Gallery

1:00 p.m.

Choral Performance

Excelsior Chorale Ensemble

2:00 p.m.

Community Tribute to john powell, Founder of the Institute on Race and Poverty, U of M Law School

By Matthew Little, former director of the NAACP-Minneapolis Branch.

Following the tribute

The Durable Martin Luther King, Jr.

Roger Wilkins

Roger Wilkins will put Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work within its historical context as part of the Civil Rights Movement and will talk about King's fundamental values that make him relevant today for all Americans.

Wilkins knew King as a friend and a leader. An outspoken participant in the Civil Rights Movement, he served as Assistant Attorney General during the Johnson Administration. Wilkins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a distinguished professor of history at George Mason University, and a noted political commentator.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Noon-4:00 p.m.

Activities throughout the museum, with free films in the William G. Shepherd Room.

Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day viewing the exhibition In the Spirit of Martin, watching King documentaries, and participating in art activities for all ages. Contribute your responses to the exhibition in a hands-on visual collage project. Parents and children are invited to work together on several artistled projects.

Minneapolis Urban League Celebration and Documentary Screening

4:00-7:00 p.m.

Program at 5:00 p.m., screening of tpt documentary at 5:30 p.m.

Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis

For further information: 612-302-3100

You won't want to miss this party! The Minneapolis Urban League, in collabortion with the Weisman, hosts a reception featuring refreshments, music, a documentary screening, and the promotion of community-wide events scheduled in conjunction with the exhibition, In the Spirit of Martin. Special guests include tpt producer/director Daniel Bergin and the subjects of a new documentary on local Civil Rights Movement participants—a project produced for the Weisman exhibition. Additional support for this event comes from SuperValu, Inc.

Art, Activism, and African-American Experience

Faith Ringgold

7:00 p.m.

Cowles Auditorium, main floor Hubert H. Humphrey Center

301 19th Ave S, West Bank

Parking available in 19th Avenue Parking Ramp at 3rd Street S & 19th Avenue Ringgold, one of the artists featured in In the Spirit of Martin, speaks about her lifetime work as an artist and activist addressing the long struggle for justice by African-Americans.

Anyone Can Fly

Faith Ringgold

12:30 p.m.

Lunchtime Forum Free pizza will be served

Shepherd Room, Weisman Art Museum

Students, faculty, and community members are invited to this informal discussion with artist Faith Ringgold. Additional support for Faith Ringgold's programs comes from the department of women's studies, the department of art, the department of American studies, and the College of Liberal Arts Scholarly Events Fund.

In the Spirit of Martin and the Geography of the Civil Rights Movement

Earl Scott, John Wright, and Colleen Sheehy

3:30 p.m.

Shepherd Room, Weisman Art Museum

This program is cosponsored by the Weisman Art Museum and the department of geography as part of their Coffee Hour speaker series. the College of Liberal Arts Scholarly Events Fund.

Voices of Free Style

Edu-Poetic (Enterbrainment)

8:00-11:00 p.m.

Opening performances by Truth Maze, Rhapsody, and open mic acts $6/$3 WAM members, students, seniors. Tickets available at the door or at 612-625-9495

Voices of Free Style II

The Poet Tree

8:00-11:00 p.m.

Opening performances by Divinewords, Ismael Lowe, and open mic acts $6/$3 WAM members, students, seniors. Tickets available at the door or at 612-625-9495

"Either Nonviolence or Nonexistence"

Panel discussion with Mahmoud El-Kati, Tammy McKanan, Mary Lou Ott, Kwabena Siaka, and Philip Steger

7:00 p.m.

In this program, panelists explore Dr. King's definition of violence-as a problem of war, racism, poverty, and other social injustices. This timely discussion examines how individuals and organizations are applying Dr. King's nonviolent strategies and principles in local and global contexts. Panelists are: Mahmoud El-Kati, civil rights movement participant, community educator, and professor at Macalester College; Tammy McKanan, former director, Women Against Military Madness; Mary Lou Ott, Nonviolent Peaceforce; Kwabena Siaka, University student and member of Soka Gokkai International USA, Minnesota Chapter, a student Buddhist organization dedicated to promoting peace; and Philip Steger, director of Friends for a Nonviolent World.

Dr. King's Legacy in Politics, Civil and Human Rights, Education, Social Justice, and More

john powell, David Roediger, Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, Gerald Torres, Kirt Wilson, Sallye McKee

Reception at 7:00 p.m. & panel discussion at 8:00 p.m.

Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center 200 Oak Street (Parking available at University Avenue Ramp at 1926 University Avenue SE.) Join this distinguished panel of scholars whose work is informed by Dr. King's goals of equality and justice. Additional support for this event comes from the College of Liberal Arts Scholarly Events Fund. The panel is offered in conjunction with the annual conference of the National Council for the Teachers of English, whose theme this year is "Teaching and Researching Across Color Lines." The conference keynote talk, "Race in the United States," by Gerald Torres, will take place the same day, Friday, February 21, 5:30-7:00 p.m., in Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center.

Reading and Discussion Minnesota Remembers the March on Washington

Discussion With Patrik Henry Bass, Author of Like a Mighty Stream: The March on Washington, August 28, 1963

7:00 p.m.

Join author and journalist Patrik Henry Bass to observe the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington. A discussion following his reading will include a panel of Twin Cities residents who participated in this historic event. Organized by a coalition of community volunteers, this program is cosponsored by the Weisman Art Museum.

In the Spirit of Martin

Discussion With Patrik Henry Bass, Author of Like a Mighty Stream: The March on Washington, August 28, 1963

noon-4:00 p.m.

A free celebration for all ages! Explore the exhibition with tours designed specifically for families. Enjoy the powerful voice of vocalist T. Mychael Rambo, the stirring poetry of j. otis powell!, and the captivating stories told by Nothando Zulu. Through drawing and collage, work with a visiting artist to create your own artistic vision of the "Beloved Community."

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Hold On!

Video and Discussion Class Mahmoud El-Kati Discussion With Patrik Henry Bass, Author of Like a Mighty Stream: The March on Washington, August 28, 1963 612-625-9656

6:00-8:00 p.m.

FREE, Weisman Art Museum, William G. Shepherd Room To register, call Learn in detail about one of the most dramatic and stirring social movements in American history, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. This free course will use the classic, prize-winning PBS documentary "Eyes on the Prize," combined with class discussion. Historian and civil rights activist Mahmoud El-Kati, professor at Macalester College, will provide commentary and lead discussion about the events documented in the video series.

Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Youth Art Exhibition at the Minneapolis Urban League

Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis
Opening Event Saturday, February 1
This exhibition features art by Minneapolis K-12 students, interpreting the life and ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace

Opening Celebration and Reception February 17, 5:00-6:00p.m.
Closing Ceremony February 22, 11:00-1:00, with keynote by Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr.

Hubert H. Humphrey Center atrium, 301 19th Ave S, West Bank
This exhibition features documentary photographs, quotes, and information about the lives and works of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Daisaku Ikeda, three champions of peace and humanist values. This exhibition was organized by Lawrence Carter, professor and Morehouse College Dean of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel. The local exhibit is sponsored by University of Minnesota student organization Soka Gokkai Internationaal (SGI-USA Minnesota chapter)-a Buddhist association promoting world peace.

A New Generation Responds: Young Artists Exhibition and Performance at Homewood Studios

Homewood Studios, 2400 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, 612-587-0230

North Minneapolis youth working with artists in Homewood's community art studio present written, visual, and performed responses to In The Spirit of Martin.