on Monday, Jan. 18, in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Featured
guest for the event will be former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice
Henry Frye.
Frye holds a long list of "firsts" in the state. In 1968 he became the
first African-American to serve in the N.C. House of Representatives
in the twentieth century. He served there a dozen years, and then was
a state Senator for two years. In 1983 he was appointed by Governor
Jim Hunt as the first African-American to serve on the N.C. Supreme
Court. In 1999 Gov. Hunt appointed him as Chief Justice -- another
first. Frye served in that post for two years, and currently practices
law in Greensboro.
Chief Justice Frye will present the keynote speech at a Community
Convocation from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union
Smith 900 Room. An hour-long community reception featuring
performances from Davidson's a cappella groups will follow.
There is no cost to participate in any of the day's events, which
focus on the theme, "Realizing the Dream." They begin at 9:30 a.m.
with a "Walk for Change" beginning and ending on the front steps of
Chambers Building. The walk will conclude with a reading of Dr. Martin
Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
From 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room
student volunteers will a host "King Day for Kids" program for
children age kindergarten through fifth grade. Activities will focus
on literacy, social justice, and community involvement, with children
participating in small group readings, storytelling, and bookmaking.
All participants will receive literacy-based goody bags. Parents
interested in enrolling children in the program should RSVP by calling
704-894-2872.
The afternoon will feature three seminars in the Alvarez College Union
that concern race and justice.
There will be two concurrent seminars from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. In Room
312 Assistant Professor of Education Hilton Kelly will lead a film and
discussion titled "Like Being Untied and Tickled at the Same Time:
Remembering Legally Segregated Schools for Blacks." The presentation
will consider the legacy of legally segregated schools for blacks and
suggests new ways of thinking about today's resegregated schools.
In Room 302, 1995 Davidson graduate and journalist Issac J. Bailey
will lead a session titled "Why I Don't Eat Watermelon in Front of
White People Even in a Post-Racial World." The title is drawn from a
book published by Bailey in 2009 concerning contemporary race
relations. Bailey writes feature stories and a regular column for the
Myrtle Beach Sun-News, and has won many awards for outstanding
journalism from the South Carolina Press Association.
The final seminar of the day will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in
the Smith 900 Room. Three current Davidson students – Jesse Johnson,
Darrell Scott and Justin Hua, along with Diversity Program Advisor
Cristina Garcia, will lead a session titled "Check All that Apply:
Examining the Complexities of Racial Identity as Forced by Societal
Labeling." The discussion will focus on the terms society has chosen
for labeling individuals based on ethnicity and race. College
applications, employment applications, the Census and medical forms
have long included identification by race, but some are changing.
Participants will be asked talk about how changes are influencing
societal interpretations of ethnicity and race.
The day's events will conclude in celebration with a Gospel
Extravaganza beginning at 7 p.m. in Duke Family Performance Hall.
Individuals and groups currently scheduled to perform are the Davidson
College Gospel Choir, Fresh Anointing of Wingate, N.C., Rae Ellis of
Charlotte, and Kabra Benford and Psalms 100 of Columbia, S.C. There
will be a special guest appearance by Ivan Powell and Garment of
Praise of Raleigh.
