Oakton event to discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and hip-hop music

The public is invited to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by attending an event at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, in Room 1610, at Oakton Community College's Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.

"The legacy of Dr. King has impacted society in both conventional and unconventional ways. And while King used speech, strategy and human communication to deliver powerful messages of inclusivity, many of today's leaders, such as Barack Obama, have invoked the art of hip-hop to speak to a new generation," Rick Daniels, Oakton's new director of student life and campus inclusion, said in a news release.

Motivational speaker Bryant K. Smith will present "The Message: Dr. King Speaks to Hip-Hop," introducing ways that hip-hop artists are similar to King. The audience will be asked to compare strategies used by King and the hip-hop industry that target youth and a greater global community.