Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter to speak at WFU

This is the fifth year Wake Forest has collaborated with Winston-Salem State to present a series of events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The two schools have a joint planning committee and the schools alternate hosting the shared celebration.

For the 2006 celebration, King will present the keynote address “On Common Ground” at 7 p.m. in Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Her father spoke in Wait Chapel in 1962.

Bernice King began her public speaking career at age 17 when she addressed the United Nations in her mother’s place. An ordained minister, she is the author of “Hard Questions, Heart Answers,” a collection of her sermons and speeches.

King has spoken at the White House and in venues across the United States and abroad. A graduate of Spelman College, she holds master of divinity and law degrees from Emory University.

In addition to King’s speech, the program will also include performances by Winston-Salem State vocal and dance ensembles, the Wake Forest Gospel Choir and a spoken word performance by Wake Forest junior Terryl Dozier.

Several other events on the Wake Forest campus will mark the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and are open to the public.

New York-based poet Ove will recite his poetry Jan. 12 as part of the “Can I Poet” spoken word series. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Benson University Center’s Shorty’s and also will feature an open mic session for other poets. Admission is free.

On Jan. 13, the “Nine STEPS Closer to the Dream” step show will showcase teams from each of the “divine nine” historically black fraternities and sororities from colleges across the East Coast. The show will begin at 7 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall. Tickets are $7 in advance; $10 at the door.

The 8th annual MLK Invitational Basketball Tournament, sponsored by Wake Forest Campus Recreation and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, will begin at 1 p.m. Jan. 14 in Reynolds Gym. Men’s and women’s teams from the following universities will compete: Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A & T. Admission is free.

On Jan. 15, the Martin Luther King Jr. Gospel Fest will feature national Gospel recording artist Kim Burrell. Burrell’s most recent CD is “Try Me Again.” The Wake Forest Gospel Choir and WSSU’s Inspirational Voices singing group will also perform. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall. Admission is $3; free to students with an I.D.

Micah Andrews, a Wake Forest football player and theatre major, will read the late King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at 5:30 p.m. Jan 16 in the atrium of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library.

Bernice King will speak again at the Wake Forest Divinity School Convocation at 11 a.m. Jan. 17 in Wait Chapel. Admission is free. From 1-2 p.m., King will also do a book signing at Diggs Gallery on the Winston Salem State campus.

On Jan. 18, a Wake Forest student group called Visionaries of Integration Creating Equality (V.O.I.C.E) will sponsor a screening of the civil rights documentary “Eyes on the Prize” at 7 p.m. in Benson University Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Admission is free.

At 11 a.m. Jan. 19, the Rev. John Mendez, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, will speak during an 11 a.m. chapel service in Wait Chapel.

For more information about these events, call Wake Forest’s Office of Multicultural Affairs at 336-758-5864. For information about the basketball tournament, call 336-758-5838.