[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] reminder: Martin Luther King events

[Ricky Baldwin]

An example of the level of cooptation of MLK Day events.  I am a big proponent of supporting MLK
Day celebrations and events when we can, including ads in the booklet, etc., but it doesn't always
make sense.  To bring in a war contractor to commemorate an antiwar leader ... 'irony' just isn't
a strong enuf word.

Not only that but the kickoff event was held in a hotel which many of us helped picket because it
was built with nonunion labor imported from out of town instead of local union labor.  The fact
that Martin Luther King Jr died in Memphis supporting an AFSCME garbage workers strike seems lost
on the planners.  

'Lost' is a kind way of describing them, by the way.  Someone else noted that among the list of
sponsors are several of our fellow citizens who were at one time involved in an organization known
notoriously by its abbreviation, a repetitive letter K. 

Ugh.

Let's hope none of us ever gets famous enuf to be remembered in this way ...
Ricky

--- john martirano <johnmartirano at gmail.com> wrote:

> Im sure others noticed the keynote for the kickoff this afternoon's MLK event:
> * Keynote: Joyce Tucker, VP Global Diversity and Employee Rights for
> the Boeing Corporation
> So a VP from one of the largest US war contractors is going to talk
> about "Transforming Our Communities Through Peace & Justice"... Boeing
> is also making inroads into domestic surveillance.
> 
> John
> 
> On 1/17/08, Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> > Please try to make at least one of the MLK events. The events are at different times and there
> are loads of fascinating things going on. Be there. Be part of the community. Celebrate.
> > Friday, January 18, 4pm
> > Sunday, January 20, 5pm
> > Monday, January 21, 8:30am, 10am
> > Thursday, January 24, 7pm
> > Saturday, January 26, 2-4:30pm
> >
> >
> > Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration 2008 Events
> > FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2008
> > 4:00 pm
> > Seventh Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Countywide Day of Celebration
> > "Transforming Our Communities Through Peace & Justice"
> > * Keynote: Joyce Tucker, VP Global Diversity and Employee Rights for the Boeing Corporation
> > * Featured entertainment will be the University of Illinois Black Chorus, Dr. Ollie Watts
> Davis, Conductor
> > * Reception immediately following the program
> > * 4:00 pm @ Hilton Garden Inn, 1501 S. Neil St., Champaign
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2008
> > 5:00 pm
> > Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Community Celebration
> > * Keynote: Fr. Joseph Brown, S.J., Director of the Black American Studies Program, SIU
> Carbondale
> > * 5:00 pm @ The Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2008
> > 8:30 am
> > Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast
> > * 8:30 am @ The Vineyard Church; 1500 N Lincoln Ave. Urbana
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> >                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > * 10:00 am
> > * Urbana Rotary and Urbana High School Interact - Youth Festival
> > * Featuring presentations by:
> >      *Urbana and Mahomet School combined choirs
> >      *Reading of Dr. King's "I have a Dream" speech by Nicholas Lyles, Urbana High School
> students
> >      *Interactive workshop on Diversity, conducted by Sam Smith
> >
> > For further information contact: Grace Mitchell, Urbana Senior High School 384-3505
> >                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > 10:00 am @ Illinois Street Residence Hall multipurpose room, Urbana
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2008
> > 7:00 pm
> > Voteless People are a Hopeless People
> > University of Illinois Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
> > * 7:00 pm @ 112 Greg Hall, 810 S. Wright Street, Urbana
> > Sponsored by:
> >  Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Cultural & Minority Affairs Committee of Illinois Student
> Senate, College  Democrats and College Republicans
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2008
> > 2 - 4:30 pm
> > Lending a Voice, Sharing a Vision
> > A University of Illinois Family Friendly Community Event
> >
> >     * Mo Better Blues School Program Jazz Group
> >     * Cultural Stories
> >     * Essay Contest Presentations
> >     * Classic Events Reception
> >     * Omnimov Dancers
> >     * Djibril Camara and the Maragiri Drum and Dance Group
> >
> > 2:00 pm @ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Lobby
> > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [This information was taken from http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/mlk/calendar/calendar.html ]
> > _______________________________________________
> > Peace mailing list
> > Peace at lists.chambana.net
> > http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
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> (_)/ (_)
> john martirano
> http://www.martirano.net/john/
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