“The Fierce Urgency of Now”: A Tufts University Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
All are welcome to attend parts or the full program.
Each year, Tufts University hosts a celebration honoring the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This afternoon symposium on civil rights will open with a performance by the Tufts Black Theater Troupe. Dr. Kerri Greenidge, Co-Director of the Tufts African American Freedom Trail Project, will then place our current moment in historical context. Next, a conversation with Boston-based community organizers and activists will discuss how this contemporary moment is shaping their work at the local and national levels. Panelists include Chris Cato of YouthBuild USA, Cheryl Clyburn Crawford of MassVOTE, and recently-elected Boston City Councilor, Lydia Edwards. We will then conclude with a community dinner and keynote lecture from Tufts alumnus Emery Wright, A99. Wright is the Co-Director of Project South, and he will address the importance of action in, “the fierce urgency of now.”
Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Toupin-Bolwell Fund, the Africana Center, the Center for the Humanities at Tufts, the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, the Tisch College of Civic Life, and the University Chaplaincy.
For more information, including a link to the live stream, please visit http://chaplaincy.tufts.edu/mlk/.
Outline of the Day
3-3:30 pm– Community Coffee, Tea, and Refreshments
3:30-3:45 pm- Welcome Remarks
3:45-4 pm– Performance by Tufts Black Theater Troupe
4-4:15 pm– Historical Context by Dr. Kerri Greenidge, Co-Director, Tufts African American Freedom Trail Project, Department of History, and the Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora.
4:30-5:45 pm– Conversation with Boston-Based Organizers and Activists
- Cato, Green Initiative Project Manager, YouthBuild USA
- Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Executive Director, MassVOTE
- Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor
5:45-6:15 pm– Dinner
6:15-7:15 pm– Keynote Speaker, Emery Wright, A99, Co-Director, Project South