Speaker to celebrate life of King
By Laura Good
Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
In celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Benjamin L. Hooks will be the keynote speaker at an Old Cabell Hall Auditorium program tonight at 7 p.m.
Hooks has devoted his life to the advancement of civil rights for African Americans, and he will deliver a speech for University students and Charlottesville residents titled "Where Do We Go From Here?"
Hooks will discuss "the legacy that King left behind and how African Americans can use that for the future," said La Tasha Levy, director of the Luther P. Jackson Cultural Center.
"Hooks will talk about current issues that we have to face," Levy said. "It would probably be appropriate if Hooks addressed the events of September 11."
In previous speeches across the country, Hooks has commented on affirmative action. Levy explained that Hooks may touch upon the issue again, with a focus on the way in which King would address the matter.
Hooks, a Baptist preacher who earned his law degree from DePaul University in 1948, was born in the segregated South.
"Hooks worked closely with King and knew him personally," said Phyllis Leffler, director of the Institute of History.
Hooks took over as the director of the NAACP in 1977 and served in this position for the next 15 years.
Besides Hooks' speech, tonight'sprogram will include performances from the Mahogany Dance Troupe and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Alpha Phi Alpha was King's fraternity and is historically an all-black organization. Levy explained that members of the fraternity originally were going to perform a step show, but now are planning to present a musical selection, poetry and speech.
Fourth-year College student James Nowlin also will be giving an oratory on King's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
The program is co-sponsored by the University Office of African-American Affairs, the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, the Office of the Dean of Students, the Center for Religion and Democracy, the Institute for Public History, the Cultural Programming Board and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
"Hooks is here, in part, because he's participating in a project called Exploration in Black Leadership," which centers on the nature and character of African-American leaders, Leffler explained. "We're thrilled that he's here for this"
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