WFU and WSSU ‘Perform the Dream’ for Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

The program will feature student group talent from both Wake Forest and WSSU and will include a variety of vocal and instrumental performances as well as poetry readings and recitations.

The event, which is co-sponsored by Wake Forest’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and WSSU’s Student Activities Center, also includes an “MLK Essay/Art/Poetry Contest” for students enrolled in Forsyth County high schools. Contest information has been sent to the local schools, and the winners will be recognized that evening. Contest winners will display their winning artwork, recite their poetry, or read their essays at the performance.

“This will be the third year we’ve joined with Winston-Salem State in celebrating the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and we’re excited to collaborate with them and our local high schools again. We believe it’s important to continue building bridges as Martin Luther King Jr. taught, and this holiday has proved to be an excellent way to do just that with other universities and schools,” said Barbee Oakes, director of the Multicultural Affairs office at Wake Forest.

Wake Forest will also celebrate King day with its 6th Annual MLK Invitational Basketball Tournament Jan. 17 in Reynolds Gymnasium on the Wake Forest campus. Teams from North Carolina A&T University, WSSU, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Charlotte have been invited to participate in the tournament. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. for team play. Games will begin at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information about the performance, call 336-758-5864. For information about the basketball tournament, call 336-758-5838. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service at 336-758-5277.