Aurora University series to celebrate MLK Jan. 17-20
Aurora University will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with "Let Freedom Ring," a series of music, film and discussion programs from Tuesday through Friday, Jan. 17-20.
Aurora University President Rebecca Sherrick said, "Years ago, as he spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the crowd massed on the National Mall, Martin Luther King Jr. exhorted America to 'let freedom ring.'
"He paraphrased a line from a favorite patriotic song to describe a challenge fundamental to the American experience. As the Aurora University community celebrates the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and awaits the inauguration of the nation's 45th president, we examine the meaning of equality in contemporary America," Sherrick said.
The public is invited. Admission is free. Advance registration is required for selected events.
The schedule is:
Tuesday, Jan. 17
• "Learning Circle: Being an Effective Ally" will be discussed by social work faculty at noon in the university banquet hall in Alumni Hall, 1410 Marseillaise Place, Aurora. Faculty speakers scheduled are Dawn Livorsi, assistant professor; Alison Arendt, assistant professor; Henry Kronner, associate professor; and Kendra Graham, lecturer.
• "Selma," a 2014 film chronicling the 1965 march led by Dr. King from Selma, Ala. to Montgomery, will be screened at 7 p.m. in Crimi Auditorium, 1347 Prairie St., Aurora. Kidada Robinson, adult advising manager and Sara Elliott, associate professor of English, will lead a discussion. Park Ridge resident John Boryk, a 1965 Aurora College alum who marched with King, will share reflections. Free advance registration is required at auartsandideas.com.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
• At noon, Mark Soderstrom, assistant professor of history, will present "Making America/Russia Great Again? Nostalgia and Democratic Discourse" in Tapper Recital Hall, 1315 Prairie St., Aurora. Soderstrom will place Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in historical context.
• At 4 p.m., "¡Sí, se puede! The Powerful Impact" will focus on contributions by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta other Latino activists to rights and freedoms for millions of Americans in Tapper Recital Hall, 1315 Prairie St., Aurora.
• At 7:30 p.m., "The Spiritual: From Slavery to Civil Rights" will feature Lyric baritone Robert Sims in Crimi Auditorium, 1347 Prairie St., Aurora. He will perform musical selections and discuss the double meaning of spirituals, escape and civil rights songs as well as their influence on American folk songs and hymns, folk operas and Broadway shows. Free advance registration is required at artsandideas.com.
Thursday, Jan. 19
• At noon, "The Sanctuary in the Promised Land" will include a presentation and discussion led by Barbara Strassberg, professor of sociology, in Tapper Recital Hall, 1315 Prairie St., Aurora. She will reflect on myths describing the United States as a sanctuary, a place of refuge for people fleeing from various forms of oppression and as a promised land.
• At 6:30 p.m., actors in The Ghostlight Project will launch a commitment to social justice and equity in Perry Theatre, 349 S. Gladstone Ave., Aurora. After a scripted presentation, a facilitated discussion about the sanctuary movement will be held.
• At 7 p.m., a poetry slam will showcase students and university employees in poems, song and verse to illustrate community building through open, respectful and diverse means of expression in Perry Theatre, 349 S. Gladstone Ave. in Aurora.
Friday, Jan. 20
• At 10:35 a.m., a conversation and viewing of the presidential inauguration will take place in Crimi Auditorium, 1347 Prairie St., Aurora. Discussion panelists scheduled are Tom Cross, Distinguished Fellow in the Institute for Collaboration; Gerald Butters, professor of history; Matt Dabros, assistant professor of political science; and Rebecca Sherrick, president.
• At noon, "Art, Freedom and Responsibility," a lecture and discussion, discussion will be led by James Kao, assistant professor of art, in Perry Theatre, 349 S. Gladstone Ave. in Aurora. Topics will include responsibility of artists to audiences and whether experiencing and responding to art are responsibilities.
For more information, visit aurora.edu/freedom.