A civil rights movement leader who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. will address human rights issues as the keynote speaker for this year's Unity Week.
Rev. Joseph Lowery will present 'Civil Rights: Now and Then' at 7 p.m. in Pruis Hall.
Charles Payne, assistant provost for diversity, said Lowery will share anecdotes of the civil rights era, and discuss the change from the 1960s to present day.
'Back then the issue was more concrete, today it's a different kind of struggle. It's more abstract,' Payne said.
He said students should take the opportunity to listen to Lowery's speech.
'His stories, his information would be more reflective of the actions taken in the past,' Payne said. 'You can read about the civil rights movement, but the experiences that are told are things you won't find in textbooks.'
According to the Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights, Lowery joined Martin Luther King Jr. and other southern ministers in 1957 to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Lowery has received several awards for his work on human rights, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Lowery also delivered the benediction at the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009.
The Multicultural Center and the Office of Institutional Diversity are sponsoring Lowery's speech.
Patricia Lovett, director of the Multicultural Center, said the decision to have Lowery at Ball State University was based on his work during the civil rights movement.
'The agency we worked with suggested Rev. Lowery. So we looked at his bio and we were impressed with all that he has accomplished regarding the civil rights movement,' she said. 'He had a personal relationship with Dr. King.'
Payne said students should expect to learn about sharing equal opportunities.
'I don't think we can leave it up to chance; we have to work on meeting people so we can learn more about other cultures,' he said. 'People can learn more about themselves and different points of view by associating with people who are different from them.'
Other activities for this year's Unity Week include the game Family Feud: Diversity Edition, dance lessons and speaker Andrew Marin talking about religion and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Unity Week will close with the annual Unity Pageant on Saturday.
This year's Unity Week theme is 'Culture Shock.' Tiffany Washington, assistant director of student life, said the Unity Week Committee chose the theme to create awareness and understanding among the Ball State community.
Unity Week became a multicultural activity week in 1988, when the Black Student Association extended the invitation for other organizations throughout campus to participate. Washington said the purpose of Unity Week since then has been to bring multicultural organizations together.
'This year [the Unity Week Committee] takes pride in having had more offices to gather in this initiative,' Washington said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
