Message from the Director
The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives is excited about the 28th Annual Commemorative Celebration of the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year's theme "Exploring Civil Rights through Arts and Culture," coincides with MSU's "Year of Arts and Culture." This theme is most valuable to the building and sustaining of an inclusive community.
In his 1961 commencement address to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Dr. King remarked, "I think all of us must develop a world perspective if we are to survive.... Through our scientific genius we have made this world a neighborhood." He goes on to warn us about this genius, and urges us not to let our modern civilization "outdistance our culture." He says, "Culture is that realm of ends expressed in art, literature, religion and morals for which at best we live." Like any neighborhood, there are different languages, perspectives and overall, cultures. One way in which we go about understanding each other is through our own human creativity and expression of self. The arts in its variety of forms, have allowed for people world-wide to understand what it means to dedicate one's life to social justice, and envision a better world. The significance of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and other similar movements around the world have been understood through paintings, songs, dance, film documentaries, music and other art forms.
This year we have several events taking place that will commemorate Dr. King's Legacy and some of them include artistic performances by faculty, staff and students from different cultural backgrounds. "Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest," "Showtyme @ MSU," "Into the Streets", a community service volunteer program, the "Commemorative March", the Community Dinner, and the Student Leadership Conference, are just a few of these events that will be featured during this year's celebration. Colleges and departments across the campus also have special programs and art exhibits planned.
Michigan State University is proud to host these programs each year and offer them to the community at no cost. We hope that supervisors and managers will give serious thought to grant either release time or permission to office staff who want to participate in any of these activities.