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Jan. 8, 2010
RIPON, Wis. – A keynote from Joanne Bland, co-founder and director of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Ala. will anchor Martin Luther King Jr. Week activities at Ripon College, along with a performance by Slam Poet Nigel Wade. Bland’s speech will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 in the Great Hall of Harwood Memorial Union, and Wade’s performance will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 in The Pub, also in Harwood.
Joanne Bland works to promote civil and human rights, and in particular seeks to increase voter awareness. During her lifetime she has been a witness and participant in some of the nation’s most consequential civil-rights battles. She began her activism in 1961 as an eight-year-old attending a freedom and voters’ rights meeting presided over by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the front lines of the struggle, the young Bland marched on “Bloody Sunday” and “Turn around Tuesday.” She witnessed the brutal beatings, shooting and hosing of fellow marchers by police. Only 11 years old at the time, she holds the distinction of being the youngest person to have been jailed at these demonstrations.
Her early involvement in the struggle against “Jim Crow” has been the foundation for her civil rights work throughout her life. She continues to be active in local and regional organizations devoted to expanding and securing civil and human rights. These include SCLC, NAACP, Alabama New South Coalition, Black Belt Arts and Cultural Center, Sunflower Project and Ladies With a Mission.
A Milwaukee native, Wade’s unique style earned him a place on the 2006 Milwaukee National Slam Team among some of the city’s finest poets. His victory at the 2006 Milwaukee Shuffle Slam earned him the right to represent his hometown at the 2007 Individual World Poetry Slam in Vancouver, British Columbia. After spending a year away from spoken-word and performance poetry, he has come back onto the scene and secured his spot in the 2010 Milwaukee Poetry Slam Finals.
All MLK week events are free and open to the public. The full week's schedule follows:
Monday, January 18
Celebration Lunch
S.N. Pickard Commons
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Registration: Welcome from Dean Jerry Seaman
J.M. Storzer Physical Education Center
1:30 p.m.
Archive Exhibit
J.M. Storzer Physical Education Center
1 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, January 19
Slam Poet Nigel Wade
The Pub, Harwood Memorial Union
7 p.m
Wednesday, January 20
Straight Talk with BSU
President's Dining Room, Pickard Commons
5:15 p.m.
Thursday, January 21
Joanne Bland
Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union
7 p.m.
Saturday, January 23
Day of Service: Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services
9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Coordinated by the Office of Community Engagement, contact 920-748-8153.
Sunday, January 24
Grace United Church of Christ Gospel Choir Church Concert
First Congregational Church, 220 Ransom Street, Ripon
4 p.m.
About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 371 College” by The Princeton Review; a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s; a “Best Liberal-Arts College” by Washington Monthly; one of the 40 best liberal-arts colleges nationwide for value by U.S. News and World Report; and among the top 100 private colleges in the nation overall and for value by Forbes Magazine. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.
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