Yale Honors the Memory of Martin Luther King Jr.

Yale University will present a series of films, concerts, lectures and programs to mark the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Events are open to the public and free, unless noted otherwise.

The opening program in the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will be a screening of Bill Greaves’ “Still a Brother: Inside the Middle Class” on January 12 at 5 p.m. in 119 Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York St. A panel discussion will follow the film.

On January 13 at 4:30 p.m., the Yale School of Public Health will present readings from “The Life and Essential Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” followed by a reception in the LEPH building, 60 College St.

“Reflections on the Words and Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” will take place on January 13 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hall of Graduate Studies, Room 211. Two essays by Dr. King, “The Purpose of Education” and “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” will be discussed in depth.

The Black Church at Yale and the University Chaplain’s Office will jointly sponsor a concert of Gospel music on January 14 at 7 p.m. in Battell Chapel, corner of College and Elm streets. Performers will include the Yale Gospel Choir, jazz violinist Kersten Stevens and a prize-winning “step team” dance group from Harlem. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for non-students.

On Sunday, January 16, at 1 p.m., Yale will host a community brunch celebrating New Haven’s rich cultural heritage, in the Presidents Room of Woolsey Hall, corner of College and Grove streets. Keynote speakers will be the Reverend Frederick J. Streets, University chaplain and senior pastor of the Church of Christ at Yale; and Rabbi Herbert Brockman, spiritual leader of Congregation Mishkan Israel, a synagogue in Hamden. Tickets are $35, and available through the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, 203-865-0831, ext 21.

That same afternoon at 2 p.m., Jim Lucas will present his one-man performance, “Reflections,” consisting of excerpts from Dr. King’s most famous speeches. This event will take place in the Peabody Museum, 170 Whitney Ave.

The Yale Gospel Choir and other musical groups will give a concert titled “Shared Dreams” at 3 p.m. on January 16 in Woolsey Hall, corner of College and Grove streets. Singer Dionne Warwick will present songs from her repertoire, accompanied by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $5Ð35 at 203-562-5666.

All afternoon on January 16, and all day on January 17, the Peabody Museum of Natural History will feature “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice,” with music and dance performances, speakers, storytellers and more than 30 hands-on, educational activities for families. Admission to the museum on both days will be free.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 17, the Graduate School will host a brunch in the Hall of Graduate Studies’ McDougal Graduate Student Center Common Room, 9Ð11 a.m., featuring live jazz. The brunch will kick off a day of community service. All that day and throughout January and February, the University will participate in a project titled “Strengthening Communities: 1,000 Hours of Service.” In honor of Dr. King’s legacy, students, faculty and staff are being asked to give a combined total of 1,000 hours of volunteer service to projects such as New Haven Reads Book Bank, Habitat for Humanity, the Student Legal Action Movement, local women’s shelters and more.

From January 29 through February 9, the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale will present a photographic exhibit, “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace.” Gallery hours are 10 a.m.Ð4 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 2Ð6 p.m. on Sunday. The center is located at 211 Park St.

These programs are coordinated by the Yale Coalition for Diversity, a group of faculty, staff and students working to foster an educational and work environment that embraces and promotes diversity and equity at all levels of the University. For more information, contact saraswathi.vedam@yale.edu.