The theme of MIT's 27th annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy will be "Confronting the Gap: Building and Sustaining Inclusion."
A keynote speaker will be named soon for the celebratory breakfast sponsored by President Charles M. Vest and his wife, Rebecca M. Vest, on Thursday, Feb. 8 in Morss Hall at Walker Memorial. President Vest and Provost Robert A. Brown will also address the breakfast audience.
The theme announcement was made by Dean Leo Osgood Jr. and Professor Michael S. Feld, co-chairs of the Presidential Planning Committee for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. "There is a growing crisis of unequal treatment of under-represented minorities, both at MIT and in the nation. In choosing this theme, we hope to stimulate introspection and dialogue within the MIT community to address this important problem," they said.
President Vest has invited members of the MIT community to submit nominations for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards to be presented at the breakfast. MIT students, faculty, alumni/ae, living groups, and student and professional organizations are eligible.
In making nominations, "service to the community is defined in the broadest sense of the term and may include academic, research, religious and secular contributions," President Vest said in a letter addressed to members of the MIT community. Three awards are presented annually -- to a faculty member or administrator, an alumnus or alumna, and a student or student group.
Nominations must be submitted in writing by December 28 to the co-chairs of the Planning Committee's awards subcommittee, Professor Larry Anderson (Rm W32-133, landerson@ mit.edu), or Dean Arnold Henderson Jr. (Rm 5-104, hndrson@mit.edu).
Seating for the breakfast is limited, with reservations required by Monday, Feb. 5.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on December 13, 2000.
