Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Lacey, Washington – Members of the Saint Martin’s University community will gather Friday, Jan. 18 for its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration honoring the legacy of the prominent human rights activist. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Norman Worthington Conference Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. S.E.
Featuring a Southern-style dinner, the evening will include remarks by Tyler Calvi, the University’s student body president, and University President Roy F. Heynderickx, Ph.D.
A powerful performance by spoken word poet Chas Jackson will round out the evening. Jackson came into the public eye in the FX television show “Black.White” where he elicited high praise for his performances featuring his original poetry. He has competed as a member of the 2006 Los Angeles Slam Team and 2008 Atlanta Slam Team. In 2009, as a part of team San Francisco, he performed on final stage at the National Poetry Slam and placed third in the nation. Jackson’s poetry can currently be heard nationally on NPR’s “Snap Judgment.”
“By recognizing the work and vision of Martin Luther King Jr., we hope this annual program will help our community understand the continuous effort that is needed to achieve social justice,” says Assistant Director of Campus Life Laurel Dube.
The event is presented by Saint Martin’s Campus Life, Black Student Union and Office of Intercultural Initiatives.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year, coeducational university located on a wooded campus of more than 300 acres in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares students for successful lives through its 23 majors and seven graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, nursing and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes more than 1,100 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its Lacey campus, and 300 more undergraduate students to its extension campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Centralia College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University website at www.stmartin.edu.
