The Hope College Office of Multicultural Education has scheduled activities from Tuesday, Jan. 15, through Monday, Jan. 21, as part of a Civil Rights Celebration Week, in conjunction with the national commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Events will include the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon, a Diversity in the Workplace Career Panel and Networking Reception, a Gospel Fest concert and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration.
The public is invited and admission is free for all events, although advance registration is required for the luncheon.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 15, from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium. The keynote speaker will be Kevin Stone, who is a vice president and creative director with GlobalHue, the nation's largest multicultural advertising agency.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon is co-sponsored and underwritten by Herman Miller Inc. Registration for the event will continue through Friday, Jan. 11, while space remains available. Additional information about attending may be obtained by calling the college's Office of Multicultural Education at (616) 395-7867.
The Diversity in the Workplace Career Panel and Networking Reception will take place on Thursday, Jan. 17, in the Maas Center auditorium. The Career Panel will run from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the reception will follow until 6:30 p.m. The panel discussion will focus on issues of diversity and globalization that graduates can expect to face in the professional world and cultural competencies that employers expect in local, urban and international settings.
The panel discussion will be facilitated by Eva Aguirre Cooper, who is director of communications for WOOD TV 8, WOTV 4 and WXSP. Panel members will include Franco Bianchi, president and chief executive officer of Haworth Inc.; Tony Castillo, president and owner of the Milagro Six McDonald's Franchise and chair of the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Denice Logan, a physician in internal medicine with Spectrum Health Occupational Services; and Debra Quade, a supplier diversity specialist with Magna Donnelly. Additional sponsors of the event include the college's Office of Career Services and the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Gospel Fest concert will take place on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The concert, sponsored by Hope's Office of Campus Ministries, will feature the Hope College Gospel Choir and VIP (Victory in Praise), the young adult praise and worship team from New Hope Baptist Church in Grand Rapids.
The activities will culminate in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration on Monday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The event will feature the theme "Listening, Learning and Living the Legacy," and the keynote speakers will be Rhonda Michelle Collier, who is director of the ACU Latin American Study Abroad Program and assistant professor of English with Abilene Christian University in Montevideo, Uruguay; and Dr. Robert L. Stevenson Jr., who is senior pastor of City Hope Ministries in Grand Rapids.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street. The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street.