News

Portland State University has several activities slated in January to highlight the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, January 19th.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, January 15, 2004
8:30–10 a.m. – Civic Engagement Breakfast: “Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: History of Public Policy Development in Oregon.”
Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238, 1825 SW Broadway.
In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr., Darrell Millner, professor of Black Studies at PSU and nationally recognized scholar of African-American history, will share his well-known local and regionally based research on public policy making in Portland and in the Northwest and its particular effect on ethnic and racial minorities. Millner will outline how pioneer politics influenced public policy making in Oregon's early history and how it continues to affect Oregon in the present. The breakfast is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and are made by calling PSU’s Center for Academic Excellence at 503-725-5642.

Noon-1 p.m. – Interfaith Service at the Koinonia House, 633 SW Montgomery.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts to address social justice issues through his tireless work the faith community, PSU and the Koinonia House will be sponsoring an interfaith service that will draw on religious traditions from multiple beliefs.

Friday, January 16, 2004
12-1:30 p.m. – Lecture by Loretta J. Ross: “Civil Rights as Human Rights.”
PSU Multicultural Center, Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228, 1825 SW Broadway.
Loretta J. Ross is the executive director of the National Center for Human Rights Education, a training and resource center for grassroots activists located in Atlanta, Ga. A long-time educator and organizer for black women's reproductive rights and against hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi movements, she is currently writing a book on black women's activism. Sponsored by PSU’s Women's Studies Department, Women's Resource Center and Student Activities and Leadership Programs, and Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Monday, January 19, 2004, Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Through a coordinated campaign with Portland State’s Student Leaders for Service and other student groups, many PSU students, faculty and administrators have signed up to participate in off-campus service at Oregon Food Bank and Community Energy Project. Before the service projects begin, a breakfast gathering will take place at PSU where King’s principles of social justice and service will be discussed.

Portland State University, Oregon's only urban university, is the largest and most diverse in the state system. The University's position in Oregon's economic and cultural center allows for deep community engagement and the creation of partnerships with hundreds of organizations throughout the region — partnerships that give PSU students valuable learning opportunities as they solve real-world problems of business and community. Portland State offers more than 100 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as graduate certificates and continuing education programs. PSU serves more students and confers more master's degrees annually than any other Oregon university.

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Release Number: 04-001