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TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
From: Chancellor Greenwood
Each year, our campus presents the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation to celebrate the life and dream of the late civil rights leader by reaffirming the human ideals of freedom, justice, and opportunity.
This year is the 15th annual celebration, and I am pleased to invite members of the campus community to two distinct events. Both feature Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, noted author, commentator, professor, and ordained Baptist minister. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has been hailed for both his intellectual acuity and his great rhetorical gifts and his books include Race Rules: Navigating the Color Line and Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture.
The first event is a panel discussion open to the UCSC campus community, presenting Dr. Dyson in dialogue with a panel of UCSC faculty and students. It will be held on Wednesday, January 27, at 7 p.m. at the UCSC Performing Arts Mainstage Theater. This is a special opportunity which allows the campus community to engage with Dr. Dyson on issues of particular importance to our students, faculty, and staff. You are invited to suggest topics for discussion by contacting the University Events office at trink@cats.ucsc.edu or (831) 459-2941.
This panel discussion is free but tickets will be required for admission, available from the UCSC Ticket Office beginning at 9 a.m. on January 27, the morning of the event. You will be asked to present your UCSC student or employee ID, and there is a two-ticket per person limit. It is recommended that you visit the Ticket Office to obtain tickets. For those unable to do so, a limited number of tickets will be available via phone by calling the Ticket Office at (831) 459-2159 beginning at 9 a.m.
The 15th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation will be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on Thursday, January 28, at 7 p.m. This event is free, open to the public, and unticketed. Dr. Dyson will offer the keynote address "Bridging the Generation Gap: Creating Conversation for Civil Rights." The celebration will also include the poetry of Dr. Ekua Omosupe and music by both the UCSC African American Theater Arts Troupe and the Voices of Bible Way Choir. I also invite you to enjoy a reception at the Civic Auditorium following the convocation. Those traveling to the event from campus are invited to ride three shuttles, available on a first-come, first-served basis, that will run at 6:15, 6:25, and 6:30 p.m., stopping at each campus Metro stop.
To learn more information on Dr. Dyson, or to review the details of these events, please visit the website. For disability related needs, contact the University Events Office at (831) 459-2826 or email hilker@cats.ucsc.edu.
I hope you will be able to attend one or both of these very special events.
M.R.C. Greenwood
Chancellor