News & Events

UNC Asheville Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Week with Community Service, Special Events

January 11, 2010

UNC Asheville will celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of special events January 18-21. Although classes will not be in session on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, student volunteers will turn their day off into “A Day On,” by contributing a four hours of service to community organizations on January 18. Other events include documentary screenings, a panel discussion and a keynote address by Robert Bullard, who is widely considered the father of environmental justice.

• Students will lead a unity service, “Celebrating King’s Faith and Dream Through Song, Word and Art,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union Grotto. Interfaith service will focus on students' expression of their faith via dance, song, scripture reading, multimedia and spoken word in regards to King's faith, dream and impact. The event is free and open to the public.

• Bullard will deliver a keynote address at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Bullard is the Edmund Asa Ware Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. He has written 15 books on issues from environmental racism to sustainable development. Bullard was featured in CNN’s “People You Should Know.” In 2008, he was named one of the 13 “Environmental Leaders of the Century” by Newsweek. A limited number of tickets for the general public will be available for $5 at the door.

 • A panel discussion on diverse faith traditions and the environmental movement will be held at 12:25 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union Mountain Suites. The event is free and open to the public.

• A screening of “Let’s Get Real,” a short documentary about advocates, bystanders, bullies and victims will be held 4:30 Thursday, Jan. 21, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union room 104. The documentary includes interviews with both bullies and those being bullied, and examines some of the causes of bullying, such as racial or religious differences and perceived sexual orientation. The event is free and open to the public.

• “The Renewal Project,” a documentary on the religious environmental movement, will be shown at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, in the Highsmith University Union Grotto. “The Renewal Project” examines environmental activists from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions, who combat global warming and mountaintop removal, and who work to promote food security, environmental justice, recycling and land preservation. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact UNC Asheville’s Intercultural Center at 828/251-6585.