Since 1986, URI has observed the legacy of the civil rights leader, who was assassinated April 4, 1968 while standing on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was 39 years old.
The documentary, “Martin Luther King and the March on Washington,” will be shown on Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Multicultural Center. Norman Barber, a faculty member in Africana Studies, will coordinate a question-and-answer session afterward.
Also on Feb. 3, Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., chief executive officer of Black Enterprise magazine, will talk about economic development, the law, and education. His talk will start at 6 p.m., in Galanti Lounge at the Robert L. Carothers Library.
Graves is a son of Earl G. Graves Sr., the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise and one of the most prominent African American businessmen in the country.
As president and CEO of Black Enterprise, the younger Graves is responsible for strategic planning of the company, which includes magazine publishing, television production, digital media, and business and lifestyle events.
Here are the other events:
* Sarah Miller, coordinator of the Feinstein Center for Service Learning, will talk about how students can become a force for social change. The talk on Feb. 4, from 5 to 6 p.m., will be held in the Multicultural Center.
* Martha Yager, program coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, will give the keynote speech during a community luncheon. The luncheon will be held on Feb. 5, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Lynn Baker-Dooley will emcee the event. Also on Feb. 5, students and others on campus will share readings, stories, songs, dances, and prayers that embody peace. The program will start at 8 p.m. in the Multicultural Center.
* URI professors and staff will talk about “Alternative Strategies for Maintaining a Safe Campus.” The session on Feb. 6 will start at 3:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center.
* Thupten Tendar, of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, will hold a meditation workshop on Feb. 7, from noon to 1 p.m., in the Multicultural Center. The workshop will focus on how to be more compassionate.
* Susan Brand, a professor of education at URI, and others will hold a workshop on how students can help create a “beloved community.” The workshop on Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be held at the Multicultural Center. Middle school students from Rhode Island will attend as well.
For details about the week, please visit Martin Luther King, Jr. Week or call Mailee Kue, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, at 401-874-5829. All events are free and open to the public.
The celebration is sponsored by the Multicultural Center, the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the Office of the Chaplains, Africana Studies, the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Greek Affairs, the departments of Education, English, Communication Studies, Psychology, Kinesiology, and Physics, the Harrington School of Communications, the Student Affairs Diversity Fund, the Feinstein Center for Service Learning, the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, the Multicultural Unity and Student Involvement Council, Sankofa, the Faculty Senate, the Student Affairs Diversity Fund, and the Office of Public Safety.