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NEWS
INDEX
Archives
2005
January
Events for Martin Luther King
Jr. celebration announced
Jeff Unger, News Bureau
217-333-0568; junger@uiuc.edu
1/7/05
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —
The lineup of speakers for this year’s Martin
Luther King Jr. Celebration includes film director Keith Beauchamp
(“The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till”) and Chris Benson,
co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of her memoir “Death of Innocence:
The Hate Crime That Changed America.” Till-Mobley is Emmett Till’s
mother. Emmett Till, 14, was murdered in August 1955 for supposedly
having whistled at a white woman.
Other events in the celebration, which takes place from Jan. 14 through
Jan. 27, include movies, student and faculty panel discussions, essay-contest
readings, storytelling and dance performances. The event is sponsored
by the chancellor’s office and more than 70 other units of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as community organizations.
The celebration was created, in part, to bring together members of the
campus and community to reflect, discuss and plan ways to advance King’s
vision. The theme this year is “A Call to Conscience, a Call to
Action.”
On Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia Theater, 203 W. Park St., Champaign,
Beauchamp will present his film (featured on “60 Minutes”
and “The Tavis Smiley Show”), which took more than eight
years to complete. Narrated by poet and activist Sonia Sanchez, the
movie focuses on the Emmett Till murder case and the people who experienced
its repercussions firsthand. The case is considered a major catalyst
of the U.S. civil rights movement.
In May 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a new investigation,
based on evidence suggesting that more than a dozen people may have
been involved in Till’s murder. The evidence was provided by Beauchamp,
who uncovered new witnesses for his movie. Beauchamp will take questions
from the audience after the screening.
Benson will deliver the celebration’s keynote address, “Live
on Purpose: Celebrating the Legacy of Emmett Till,” at 4 p.m.
Jan. 20 in the auditorium of Smith Hall, 805 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana.
A reception and book signing will follow the talk.
Other events, free and open to the public:
Jan. 20
• 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Movie: “Injustice” (2001), Room
101, Armory Building,
505 E. Armory Ave., Champaign
Jan. 22
• 2 to 5 p.m. Community event: “Stories of Our People,”
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana.
Performers include Dawn Blackman, a Champaign storyteller; the presentation
of the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest awards to winners from local
middle and high schools; the Protégé Dance Group of Champaign;
Chinese Scholars and Students Association Ethnic Dance Group; Larry
Lockwood, an American Indian storyteller from Chicago; the U. of I.
Raas Team (South Asian dance); Sancocho Music and Dance Collage of Indianapolis.
Jan. 25
• 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Movie: “Bread and Roses” (2000),
Room 101, Armory Building
Jan.
26
• 7 to 9 p.m. Student and faculty discussion: “Diverse Perspectives
on Campus and in America: Finding and Exercising Your Voice,”
Illini Room C and the South Lounge, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St.,
Urbana. The panel will debate issues including the supposed liberal
domination of academia, racial discrimination, religious intolerance,
gender inequality and the misunderstanding of sexual orientation.
Jan. 27
• 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Movie: “If You Were Me” (2004;
in Korean with English subtittles), Room 101 Armory Building
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