AUSTIN, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin will celebrate MLK Day on Monday (Jan. 15) with a 1 p.m. program sponsored by the Multicultural Information Center, in recognition of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Marlen Whitley, a third year law student and former student government president at UT Austin, will be the keynote speaker during the program at the MLK Stature on the East Mall. The event will feature entertainment from UT Austin students and the Austin community. Participants will include about 65 students from kindergarten through fifth grade from the Texas Academy of Excellence, a charter school in East Austin. The students will provide song and poetry.
From Huston-Tillotson College, General Marshall, professor of mathematics and chairman of the division of natural sciences, will recite King’s famous “I have a dream” speech to the audience.
From UT Austin, entertainment will include a dance performance by an Indian student group and singing by the Innervisions Gospel Choir. The choir also will lead the crowd in singing We Shall Overcome in Hindi.
Monday (Jan. 15) is a UT Austin staff holiday in observance of MLK Day.
On Tuesday (Jan. 16) at 7 p.m. in the LBJ Auditorium, the Austin Area Heritage Council of Austin will feature a keynote address by United Negro College Fund President William Gray and dramatic performances by Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee. There are no more tickets available for this event. However, the tickets that were issued only guarantee seating until 6:45 p.m. that evening. After 6:45 p.m. all open seats will be released on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission into the event, which is free, will be allowed at that point based on a person’s place in line.
The event will close with a candlelight march from the LBJ Auditorium to the MLK statue on the east mall of the campus, where Student Government President Daron Roberts will speak. Musical selections will climax the celebration.
For additional information about MLK Day activities on campus, contact Brenda Burt, director of the Multicultural Information Center, (512) 475-7971 or (512) 232-2958.
