Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder Will Speak During Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Randolph-Macon College will remember and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a tribute celebration on what would have been his 79th birthday. The January 15, 2008 program will begin at Noon in Blackwell Auditorium, R-MC Center for the Performing Arts. The honorable L. Douglas Wilder, Mayor of Richmond and the first elected African-American governor in United States history, will be our keynote speaker. He will discuss Dr. King’s contribution in the past, the challenges of today, and the promise of tomorrow.

In addition, a special recognition will be given to fellow civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker who was a close friend of Dr. King. Dr. Walker marched along with Dr. King during the Civil Rights movement and served as his executive assistant. He was later appointed to become the first full-time executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) from 1960 to 1964. He was once described by Dr. King as ‘‘one of the keenest minds of the nonviolent revolution.’’

Dr. Walker is a pastor/theologian and is known internationally as a human rights activist. He has traveled to 97 countries and met with such notables as Nelson Mandela and the late former Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat. Dr. Walker is planning to attend this celebration and will be honored during the program.

The celebration will conclude with a moving rendition of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech by R-MC student, Waddell Howard `09. Howard has traveled the country delivering this powerful speech, including a presentation at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

For more information about this and other events at R-MC, please contact Pam Harris Cox at 752-3712, pamelacox@rmc.edu or Anne Marie Lauranzon at 804-752-7317, alauranz@rmc.edu.