January 15, 2013
Celebrations start Thursday, service opportunities during MLK holiday weekend
A celebration 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Thursday, in the Health Sciences Center lobby kicks off a number of events and volunteer opportunities for UW faculty, staff and students in conjunction with the annual observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The tribute, “All Labor that Uplifts Humanity Has Dignity,” will include music, singing, dancing, poetry reading, community volunteer recognition and the keynote “We are One: Worker Rights are Civil Rights” by Elana Perez, of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21. Performers will include the Eickstein Middle School Senior Jazz Band, NW Tap Connection and Musicians of the UW School of Medicine.
The event, sponsored by Health Sciences Administration and University of Washington Medical Center, is free and open to all.
So too are opportunities to volunteer.
The UW’s Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center, for example, is partnering again with United Way of King County to connect UW volunteers with 80 community service projects on Monday, Jan. 21.
The day of volunteering starts with a kick-off event, 8 to 9 a.m. in the HUB ballroom.
“Gather together with us on the morning of Martin Luther King Day for some inspirational words to set the tone, for some coffee and pastries to add some fuel and for event t-shirts so you look cool, and a chance to connect before heading off to serve,” it says on the Carlson center site about the day’s events.
After the kick-off, volunteers will fan out across the region to work on community projects identified by local nonprofits. Some 2,000 volunteers are needed and sign-ups are still underway, although services projects are filling up fast, according to information from the Carlson center.
A number of other events and service opportunities are planned by various UW units. These include the following.
–Harborview Medical Center, Thursday, Jan. 17
The program “Living the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Right to Dream,” will be held noon to 1 p.m., in the Harborview Medical Center Research & Training Building Auditorium. In a retrospective, Marcel Davis of Living Voices will perform in front of a video display. The event will also include speeches, a video of Harborview employees volunteering in the community and a coffee reception. On Jan. 21, a group of Harborview employees will prepare a meal for people in need at a community service center in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.
–UW School of Law, Friday, Jan. 18
New York Times best-selling author Michelle Alexander speaks 10 to 11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 18, in Room 115 of William H. Gates Hall. A civil rights lawyer, advocate and legal scholar, Alexander is the author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” RSVP to gatespsl@uw.edu.
–UW Bothell, Saturday, Jan. 19
UW Bothell is teaming up with Cascadia Community College to hold its fourth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Volunteers will perform service at 10 sites in and around Bothell. Tasks range from food collection to yard work to working with children with disabilities.
–Evans School of Public Affairs, Monday, Jan. 21
Evans School of Public Affairs student groups GreenEvans and Partners for Community & Diversity are joining EarthCorps, the Green Seattle Partnership, Service for Peace, City Year, YMCA EarthService Corps and Seattle Parks and Recreation in ongoing restoration of the 43-acre Cheasty Greenspace from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
–Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, Monday, Jan. 21
The UW’s newly renovated Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center celebrated its grand opening last week, and its staff needs help moving into the new space. Volunteers can join Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity staff and students to develop materials such as bulletin boards and resource binders and assist in other tasks to make the center fully functional.
–UW Tacoma, Monday, Jan. 21
The annual Unity Breakfast, 8 to 10:30 a.m., in William W. Philip Hall, includes community Dream Awards, local performing artists and keynote speaker Carolyn McKinstry, a survivor of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Space for the Unity Breakfast is limited to the first 300 paid registrants. UW Tacoma has also put together a list of service and educational opportunities taking place throughout the week of January 21 to commemorate Martin Luther King’s message of service.
