Week for Peace events honor King’s legacy

Student activism has historically played an important role in shaping American politics, especially during civil rights movements. Baltimore activist Kwame Rose, who focuses on the idea of black empowerment, will speak at Tulane University on Wednesday, Jan. 20, as part of the 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week for Peace.

Rose’s address begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Lavin-Bernick Center’s Qatar Ballroom on the uptown campus. His speech will touch on how students can drive change in their own communities. Rose is also a hip-hop artist, blogger and speaker but may be best known for his encounter with Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera during the unrest that gripped Baltimore last April following the death of Freddie Gray. 
 
The theme of this year’s Week for Peace is “Making the Dream Matter: Moving from Action to Activism.”
 
“This will be the 30th year that Tulane, Loyola and Xavier universities come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King,” says Carolyn Barber-Pierre, assistant vice president for student affairs at Tulane.
 
Other events for the week include a Presidential Town Hall Meeting on Racial Issues with Tulane President Mike Fitts on Tuesday (Jan. 19) at 5:30 p.m. in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall of the Lavin-Bernick Center on the Tulane uptown campus. The Town Hall meeting will be moderated by Gwen Thompkins, a Tulane graduate, veteran NPR reporter and host of WWNO’s “Music Inside Out” radio program.

There will be a step team competition on Friday (Jan. 22) at 7 p.m. that features spoken-word poetry, dance and music from the three participating universities, which will be held in the University Center Ballroom at Xavier University. On Saturday (Jan. 23), over 700 students are expected to volunteer for a day of service around the New Orleans community, in collaboration with the Tulane Center for Public Service. Registration is required for the day of service, which begins at Loyola University at 8 a.m.
 
Transportation will be provided for the off-campus events, Barber-Pierre says.
 
Samah Ahmed is a sophomore majoring in public health and political science at Tulane University.