Lincoln (Neb.) - Jan. 5, 2000 - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's celebration of the 2000 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will be Jan. 17 and will include a daylong series of events under the national theme, "Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day on, Not a Day Off."
No classes are scheduled that day and all but essential offices will be closed in observance of the holiday. On-campus activities include morning and afternoon programs at the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., and the kickoff of a five-day food drive to benefit the Hispanic Community Center. Non-perishable food items may be dropped off through Jan. 21 at the ASUN student government offices in the Nebraska Union or at the Student Involvement Office in the Nebraska East Union.
The day's events begin at 9 a.m. with a one-hour program featuring a welcome and proclamation from Chancellor James Moeser, a performance by the Lincoln Community Gospel Choir under the direction of Oscar Harriot and other presentations. Nebraska Union events end with a 75-minute performance by The Exchange Project beginning at 2:45 p.m.
From 10 a.m. to noon, campus diversity groups will have presentations in the Union. Individuals will also be able to participate in an NAACP Youth Council-sponsored march beginning at 10 a.m. at the Culture Center, 333 N. 14th St., and going to the Capitol Building, where a youth rally in the East Legislative Chambers begins at 10:30.
Lunch tickets courtesy of the Chancellor's Office will be available at morning activities and can be redeemed at Nebraska Union vendors between noon and 2 p.m., when programming resumes in the Union Ballroom.
The afternoon program begins with a performance by Voice of Destiny, the Lincoln High School youth choir directed by Suzy Schultz, followed at 2:30 by presentation of the chancellor's "Fulfilling the Dream" awards and The Exchange Project performance.
The Exchange Project is a collaborative effort of Junebug Productions of New Orleans, Pregones Theater of The Bronx, N.Y., and Roadside Theater of Whitesburg, Ky.
Junebug Productions is a professional African American arts organization whose mission is to create, produce and present quality theater, dance and music that inspires and supports the African American community and the world. For the past 19 years, the company has toured the United States and internationally. John O'Neal, artistic director, co-founded the Free Southern Theater in 1963 as a cultural extension of the civil rights movement. In the post-segregation era, Junebug Productions continues to support the legacy of the movement by collaborating with other artists and organizations who share a commitment to similar goals and a desire to maximize scarce resources.
Pregones Theater, founded in 1979, is a professional theater ensemble creating innovative and challenging theater rooted in Puerto Rican traditions. To date, Pregones has staged more than 40 new works, has performed in 75 cities, has trained more than 1,000 children through free workshops and has performed to thousands in the Northeast. Pregones artists have served as mentors to many younger Latino artists.
Roadside Theater is an arm of Appalshop, the multi-disciplinary cultural center which produces and presents works that celebrate the culture and voices the concerns of the Appalachian Mountain region. Founded in 1975 as a professional theater, Roadside has toured its original productions nationally and internationally. Roadside is dedicated to preserving the Appalachian culture, collaborating with other theater groups to create plays that explore culture and class issues and mentoring new theaters and artists.
The Exchange Project appearance is supported in part by a grant from
the National Endowment for the Arts.
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