NOTE:  Dr. Spencer Davis, the scheduled morning speaker for Martin Luther King Day, is unable to be at Hastings College in person because of road conditions. However, he graciously sent us the paper he would have given, and the paper will be read by Associate Academic Dean Anne Fairbanks. Time for questions and discussion will follow. This event begins at 10:45 am and will conclude within an hour.

Hastings College will observe Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Monday, Jan. 15, with two guest speakers and community service projects. The presentations are open to the public.

At 10:45 a.m., Dr. Spencer Davis, professor of history at Peru State College, will speak in French Memorial Chapel.

A specialist in African American history, Davis has authored numerous publications including: Abraham Lincoln: The Personal Side, African-American Soldiers in the Civil War: Fighting on Two Fronts, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and Understanding Emancipation: Abraham Lincoln and Sojourner Truth (with Vivian Davis).

Davis completed a bachelor’s degree at Brown University, a master’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a doctoral degree from the University of Toronto. He has published articles on Olaudah Equiano and Ma Rainey, and is a contributor to Encyclopedia USA.

Davis is co-founder and coordinator of the Black History Workshop of Zion Baptist Church in Omaha.

The Rev. Rosalie Smith Anderson will speak at 7:30 p.m. in French Memorial Chapel. The Hastings High School Madrigal Choir and Concert Choir, under the direction of Chuck Dewall, will perform.

Originally from Hastings, Nebraska, Anderson served as a licensed practical nurse for many years before answering the call to ministry.

While serving a church in Alda, Nebraska, Anderson commuted to St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, and was ordained as a United Methodist pastor. She has served churches in Omaha and Lincoln.

Students, faculty and staff will be participating in service projects from
1 to 3 p.m., and from 3 to 5 p.m. Kim Graviette, director of career services, is coordinating the projects. Participants will donate their time at Big Brothers, Big Sisters; Catholic Social Services; Children’s Ark Day Care; Crossroad Center; Hastings Museum; The Kensington; Pooh Corner Day Care; Hastings Family YMCA; and The Zone (YWCA).
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day activities are being planned by the college’s Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society, Multicultural Student Union, and the Office of the Chaplain.

The day’s activities are sponsored, in part, by Wal-Mart of Hastings.