Westminster College Commemorates "a Dream" During Diversity Symposium

Westminster College kicks off its Diversity Symposium with a day of events commemorating The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The events, which are sponsored by the Diversity Coordinator's Office, include continuous play of King's two most popular speeches, "I Have a Dream" and "The Dream Deferred," in College common areas, the Duff Cafeteria Lounge and the TUB snack lounge. The speeches will also be played and discussed in various classes.

Student radio and television stations, WWNW FM 88.9 and WWNW-TV9, will be airing interviews of Westminster College students throughout the day to get the "person on the street" thoughts about King and civil rights in America.

From 4:30-6:30 p.m., Westminster students will have the opportunity to sample authentic African-American cuisine such as corn bread, collard greens with bacon, and sweet potatoes with maple syrup, butter cinnamon, and nutmeg in the campus cafeteria, while listening to the music of the Westminster College Gospel Choir. This live performance, under the direction of Gordon Austin, will feature gospel and civil rights-based music.

The performance of "The Meeting" by the Kuntu Repertory Theater will culminate the day of celebration at 7:30 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel. The plot centers around an imaginary meeting of Malcolm X and King, and will be followed by an actor/audience discussion of personal thoughts and testimonials about civil rights today.

The Kuntu Repertory Theatre is Pittsburgh's oldest Black theater company, and its mission is to examine Black life from a sociopolitical-historical perspective, and to combine the salient features of theatre that educates, entertains, and moves both performers and audiences.

This Kuntu performance is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Neal Edman, dean of students at Westminster College, at (724) 946-7113.

The Diversity symposium is designed to help students and the community acquire a knowledge and appreciation of differences among people, human cultures, and the natural world.

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