Rubin "Hurricane" Carter Lecture Highlights Martin Luther King Jr. Week Activities

Contact: George Mauzy, media specialist, (740) 597-1794 or mauzy@ohio.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (January 11, 2001) -- A lecture by former professional boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the subject of the 1999 motion picture "The Hurricane" starring Denzel Washington, highlights Martin Luther King Jr. Week activities at Ohio University which began Jan. 15.

Carter, who served 19 years in prison for murder before being released and exonerated, will speak at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for Ohio University students and $7 for others.

The Athena Theater will show "The Hurricane" at 5 p.m. and midnight, Thursday and Friday and midnight Saturday. Tickets are $3 and admission is free for those who have purchased a lecture ticket.

The week's activities began with a memorial brunch and vigil at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Baker University Center Ballroom. Na'im Akbar, a Florida State University professor who specializes in afrocentric psychology, was the featured speaker. Tickets are $8 for Ohio University students and $12 for others.

Also on Monday, the Urban Bush Women dance troupe performed at 7:30 p.m. at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for students, $18 for senior citizens and $20 for others. The troupe uses cultural expression as a catalyst for social change and specializes in contemporary dance, mixing music and text with the history, culture and spiritual traditions of African-Americans and the African Diaspora.

Michael Eric Dyson, who authored "I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr.," delivered the week's keynote address at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Memorial Auditorium. An ethics and politics professor at DePaul University, Dyson is known for his lively and updated evaluations of King's life. Click here to read more about Dyson's address.

"I am very excited about this year's MLK Week events," said Linda Daniels, Ohio University's director of multicultural programs. "In the past, the celebration has consisted primarily ofa vigil and community service, but this year we are able to offer a weeklong series of events.This was made possible through the collaboration of many colleges, offices and departments at the university."

For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Programs at (740) 593-4027 or George Mauzy, media specialist, at (740) 597-1794 or mauzy@ohio.edu

Ohio University's Martin Luther King Jr. Week Activities:

Monday, Jan. 15

• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Brunch and Vigil, Baker University Center Ballroom, 10:30 a.m. Noted afrocentric psychologist Na'im Akbar is the featured speaker, and tickets are $8 for students and $12 for others.
• Pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. through community service. Volunteer activities are planned from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Jamie Fox at the Center for Community Service at (740) 593-4007.
• The Performing Arts Series presents the Urban Bush Women Dance Troupe, Templeton- Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call (740) 593-1780.

Tuesday, Jan. 16

• Video presentation of "Martin Luther King Jr.: Leading America to the Promised Land," Lindley Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m. The video documents King's last days in Memphis before being assassinated and many of his other accomplishments that affected America.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

• MLK Week keynote speaker Michael Eric Dyson, Memorial Auditorium, 8 p.m. Dyson, a professor at DePaul University, is the author of "I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr."

Thursday, Jan. 18

• Video and discussion, "Beyond Black & White: Affirmative Action in America," Lindley Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m. The video explores one university's efforts to enroll a diverse student body.
• The Athena Theater will show the movie "The Hurricane" at 5 p.m. and midnight Thursday and Friday and midnight on Saturday. The movie details the life of former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and stars Denzel Washington. Tickets are $3.

Saturday, Jan. 20

• Lecture by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Memorial Auditorium, 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for others. For tickets, call (740) 593-1780.