Joseph
King
Topic: ‘Civil Rights in the Age of Obama’
A preeminent authority on African-American history will speak at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Observance on Monday, Jan. 20, at Town Hall.
Tufts University history professor Peniel Joseph is the keynote speaker. The title of his talk is “Dr. King at 85: Reimagining Civil Rights, Racial Equality, and Economic Justice in the Age of Obama.”
The doors will open on this free event at 6:45, and attendees are encouraged to come then to socialize. Light refreshments will be provided, but guests may bring finger-friendly desserts to share if they wish, as was the custom in the past.
Those who cannot arrive in time for dessert are welcome to attend the program, which will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The AHS Jazz Band will perform under the direction of Tino D’Agostino, along with the AHS Madrigal Singers led by Cheryl Christo.
In recognition of Dr. King’s goal to combat poverty, the public is urged to bring nonperishable food to the celebration, which will be donated to the Arlington Food Pantry.
With a B.A. from SUNY at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. from Temple University, Joseph is a recognized expert on the history and current status of civil rights in the United States.
You may have heard him on National Public Radio or seen him on television. On the ‘NewsHour with Jim Lehrer’ during the national conventions in 2008, he offered historical perspective. He appeared on “The Colbert Report’ last year on the day the Supreme Court altered the Voting Rights Act.
Joseph is the founding director of The Center for Race and Democracy at Tufts, which promotes discourse on race relations, both local and global in scope. Last September his Center initiated an annual National Dialogue on Race Day, hosting a multicultural panel of experts at Tufts, with parallel discussions taking place at Universities across the country.
In a town-hall format, Joseph and his colleagues tackled the topic of how to bring racial equality to our prison system. From the legacy of the 1963 March on Washington, to the Trayvon Martin case 50 years later, there was much to talk about.
Joseph was awarded fellowships from Harvard University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Ford Foundation. He has written two acclaimed books — Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America and Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama.
Among numerous honors, he was a finalist for the Mark Lynton History Prize, won the W.E.B. Dubois Book Prize from Fairfield University and was named Distinguished Lecturer by the Organization of American Historians, all in 2007.
Joseph edited The Black Power Movement and Neighborhood Rebels. Most recently, he has written a biography of a rival to Dr. King, the civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael, which will be published this spring.
Joseph’s books will be available to buy and have autographed at the event.
A free-will offering will be taken during the Program. Past proceeds have been allocated to the Arlington Public Schools for teacher-training, curricula enhancement and college scholarships, to the King Monument in Washington D.C., and occasionally to other organizations that further the work of Dr. King.
Those who cannot attend but would like to make a donation can send checks to the Martin Luther King Committee, P.O. Box 320, Arlington 02476.
Donations are tax-deductible. The event is handicapped accessible.
This annual celebration of the civil rights leader is coordinated by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Observance Committee of Arlington, an interfaith group of local residents.
Arlington Town Hall is at 730 Mass. Ave.
For more information, consult the Committee’s Facebook page or call 781-646-5337.
Elected to the group’s executive board at the annual meeting, held Nov. 7, were Ian Jackson, president; Jack Cooper, vice president; Roberta Lasky, treasurer; Janice Bakey, clerk.
Elected directors were Regina Caines, Pearl Morrison, Kate Cubeta, Sherry Hahn, Stewart Jester, Ann Mathes, Neil Osborne, the Rev. Mikel Satcher, Lee Phenner.
This story was published Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, and uipdated Jan. 13, 2014.
