Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration planned

Peoria, Illinois...December 8, 2003... Christopher F. Edley, Jr., co-director of The Civil Rights Project, Harvard Law School professor, and author, will speak on January 29 at 6 p.m. in the Michel Student Center ballroom on the Bradley University campus as part of the University's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.

Edley is serving a six-year term as a member of the bipartisan U.S. Civil Rights Commission. He is a member of the Task Force on the Future of Common School, a Century Foundation effort focused on racial and economic segregation of public schools. He also is a member of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, a blue ribbon private study led by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

Edley's book, "Not All Black & White: Affirmative Action, Race and American Values," grew out of his work as special counsel to President Clinton and director of the White House Review of Affirmative Action. He currently is completing a book assessing the Clinton Administration's record on racial justice and analyzing the future prospects for the racial justice movement in a multicultural society.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services, also will include a dance workshop featuring Charles "Chuck" Davis on January 26, from noon to 1 p.m., in the Garrett Cultural Center. "Celebration in Spoken Word" featuring Nabi's House will also be held on January 26 at 7 p.m. in the Garrett

Cultural Center. A "Celebration in Music" will be held on Tuesday, January 27, at 6:30 p.m. in Dingeldine Music Center and will include a performance by The Heritage Ensemble, St. Paul Baptist Church Choir, and the Bradley Gospel Choir. "Celebration of His Life" will be held on January 28 at 7 p.m. in the Neumiller Lecture Hall with a film titled, "Eye on the Prize," followed by a group discussion. A read-in to celebrate the works of Dr. King will be held on January 29 at 11 a.m. in the Michel Student Center atrium. The weeklong celebration will close on Friday, January 30, with a Unity Party celebration featuring "The Brooks Brothers" from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Michel Student Center ballroom. For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Student Services at 677-2646.