The most diverse college in Washington celebrates its heritage and achievements with the return of Martin Luther King Jr. Week Jan. 21-25.
In a week-long series of events, Highline Community College will welcome a variety of speakers and performers to explore the legacy of the late Dr. King and to examine the state of the nation with regard to diversity today.
Major events include:
Tuesday, Jan. 22-Capitol Resistance: Hip Hop as Mass Media, 9 and 10 a.m., Building 7 Lecture Hall, featuring Dr. Jared Ball (professor of Africana and Media Studies at Morgan State University and University of Maryland), Head-Roc (internationally known and respected MC/Producer), and DJ 2-Tone Jones (DJ and activist).
The Urgency of Now, 12:10 p.m., Building 7, featuring Dr. George Lipsitz, professor of Black Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of The Possessive Investment in Whiteness.
Wednesday, Jan. 23-Civic Engagement and Community Empowerment, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., Highline Student Union Building, Mt. Constance Room, featuring Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers.
Prison Industrial Complex, 12:10 p.m., Building 7, featuring attorney Beth Colgan talking about the rising number of prisoners in the United States. This will be followed by a discussion at 1:30 p.m. in the HSU Leadership Resource Room.
Thursday, Jan.: 24-Boys of Baraka, 9 a.m. and 12:10 p.m., Highline Student Union Building, Mt. Constance Room, featuring the documentary on the fate of many young African-American men in Baltimore. Monica Lemoine and Devon Brown, both featured in the documentary, will be present to share their experiences.
Social Justice - Personal Reflections and Stories, 10 a.m., Building 7, featuring Abdi Sami, a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema.
Friday, Jan. 25-We Become By Walking: Youth Activism and the Role of Art in Social Movement, 11 a.m., Highline Student Union, third floor Leadership Resource Room. Artist Jonathan Matas discusses his new mural, depicting student and youth resistance from the 1960s to the present.
All events are on the main HCC campus, 2400 S. 240th St. in Des Moines. They are free and open to the public.
