TULANE TALK

January 16, 2009

Good Morning:

Today kicks off the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week for Peace, a time in which we join Dillard, Loyola and Xavier universities to celebrate the life and carry forth the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today there will be an MLK exhibit and free cake and punch offered in the Lavin Bernick Center’s (LBC) McNulty Commons. This will also be a time for you to register for Saturday’s Day of Service, one of the main events of the Week for Peace. More than 20 projects have been selected for this special day ranging from rebuilding homes for the elderly to restoring our wetlands. Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. at the LBC and then be brought to sites throughout the city, returning at 3 p.m. Meals will be provided. If you don’t make it to the LBC today, you can always register online at http://mlkoutreachnola.tulane.edu.

Since no Week for Peace events are planned for Sunday, Jan. 18, this is a great day to welcome back the women’s tennis program (reinstated for the first time since Katrina) as the Green Wave take on North Texas at the Goldring Tennis Complex at 11 a.m. This historic event features free admission and free hot dogs.

Then at 1 p.m. on Sunday the Green Wave women’s basketball team will tip off against UTEP at Fogelman Arena. We want a packed house for this game, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN-2. Fans who wear Tulane gear, paint their faces, bring signs or other visual displays of their Green Wave pride will be admitted for $1.

The Week for Peace continues Monday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m. with a candlelight vigil and Interfaith Gospel Celebration at Dillard. Buses taking Tulane and Loyola students to Dillard will depart from McAlister Drive and Freret starting at 3:30 p.m.

On Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m., comedian and activist Dick Gregory will host the 2009 MLK Convocation at Xavier University. A reception will be held before the convocation at 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of the University Center Ballroom. Buses taking Tulane and Loyola students to Xavier will depart from McAlister Drive and Freret at 5 p.m. The Week for Peace will conclude Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. with the Expressions of Unity event at Loyola’s Nunemaker Auditorium. Students from the various campuses will dance, sing and perform spoken word and a unity step in celebration of the life of Dr. King.

Please try to take part in as many of these events as possible. In the words of Dr. King, the only requirement is “a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

This weekend also kicks off the events leading up to Tuesday’s Presidential Inauguration, one of our nation’s defining traditions. This year’s ceremony is even more poignant, offering proof in the midst of the annual commemoration of Dr. King’s life that his dream can come true.

Have a great weekend,