UNH Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. With Address By Kevin Powell, Poet And Journalist March 2

Contact: Denise Hart
603-862-1462
UNH Media Relations

Feb. 18, 2005



Editors, New Directors: Kevin Powell, the keynote speaker for UNH’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 2005, will give his address Wed., March 2 in the Memorial Union Building’s Strafford Room at 7 p.m. The event is rescheduled from the Jan. 26 date that was postponed due to weather. Reporters interested in a telephone interview Kevin Powell prior to the event are asked to contact Denise Hart at 862-1462.

DURHAM, N.H.— Kevin Powell, journalist, poet, hip-hop historian and community activist, visits the University of New Hampshire March 2, 2005, to offer his keynote address “Looking for Martin: Are Dr. Kings’ Dreams Still Relevant?” as part of UNH’s 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

Kevin Powell

The event takes place in the Strafford Room of the Memorial Union Building at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Parking is permitted in UNH lots after 6 p.m. without a permit. The nearest parking lots to the MUB are Lots C and B; a campus shuttle serves all the parking areas.

Powell’s earlier appearance, scheduled for Jan. 26, had to be postponed due to weather.

Powell is the author of six books and has written articles for Vibe, The New York Times Magazine, Essence and Rolling Stone and appeared on national television speaking about politics and culture. His most recent book is Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America, an Essence magazine bestseller. He edited Who Shot Ya? a chronicle of the hip-hop movement as seen through the lens of photographer Ernie Paniccioli. Powell began his career as a cast member of MTV’s The Real World in the early 90s.

“The theme of this year’s celebration is “Each one, reach one: to act, inspire, and lead,” says Irene Kao, multicultural coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and chair of the celebration planning committee. “We are challenging members of the extended UNH community to venture beyond remembrance and celebration to asking how we can carry on King’s work for social justice, community service and respect for all people.”

The UNH Diversity Team and Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee will present the second annual Social Justice Awards following Powell’s talk.

A reception and book signing with Kevin Powell closes the event.

For updated information about the event visit http:// www.unh.edu/insidescoop/mlk or call Irene Kao at 862-5053.