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Celebrating the Future, Remembering the Past:
Pepperdine Celebrates Presidential Inauguration, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
In celebration of the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first African American president, Pepperdine University will host several events, discussions, and speakers to mark the historic occasion.
“We hope these educational programs will bring our community together as we celebrate and reflect on the historical significance of this 2009 inauguration week," says Larisa Hamada, director of equal opportunity at Pepperdine University.
Live from the Inauguration
Constitutional scholar and Obama advisor Doug Kmiec will attend the Inaugration. He's blogging about his experiences for Graphic, Pepperdine's student newspaper.
Visit www.pepperdine-graphic.com to follow his coverage, and read as student journalist Ashlyee Hickman reports live from the Inauguration.
Classes are cancelled on Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, thus freeing students to attend an Umoja (Unity) Celebration from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the School of Law Caruso Auditorium on the Malibu campus. The celebration will feature a presentation by best-selling author Stedman Graham, owner of leadership and strategy consulting company Stedman Graham & Associates and founder of Athletes Against Drugs. Graham will speak on the topic "Diversity: Leaders Not Labels." Click here to learn more about the event, which will also include a one-of-a-kind Martin Luther King, Jr. video clip presentation and remarks by ministers and Pepperdine professors Gary Selby, David Holmes, and Ken Durham.
Faculty Discuss the Historic Event
Doug Kmiec describes the excitement surrounding the ceremony and reflects on his participation.
Listen to the interview.
Pulitzer Prize-winning law professor Ed Larson discusses the historical significance of this Inauguration and remembers highlights from past Inaugurations.
Listen to the interview.
On Inauguration Day, Tuesday, Jan. 20, live coverage of the ceremony will be broadcast from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Waves Cafeteria and at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus starting at 8:30 a.m. in room 203. Here, attendees will also be able to watch Daryl Rowe, professor of psychology, as he appears live via satellite beginning at 2 p.m. from the Inauguration in Washington D.C. Participants are encouraged to share reactions to the ceremony in an open forum until the event concludes at 4 p.m.
In a special program to commemorate both the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration of President-elect Obama, Seaver College professor David Holmes will introduce and perform a reading of the “I Have A Dream Speech,” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in room D of the Pepperdine School of Law. A recording of the swearing in and speech of President Obama will also be shown.
Also on Inauguration Day, Holmes and Selby will lead "Community Dialogues," a discussion regarding the historical and cultural significance of our nation’s first African American president. The open forum will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Hahn Fireside Room, adjacent to the Waves Cafeteria on the Malibu campus. Light refreshments will be served
The following day, Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and Pepperdine School of Law will host a panel discussion titled, "The Civil Rights
Movement - Then and Now," from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in room D of the School of Law. Panelists will include Raul Ayala of the Mexican American Bar Foundation, Rabbi Judith HaLevy of the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue, and Reverend Brenda LaMothe of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. School of Law professor Christine Goodman will moderate. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
Also on Wednesday, Seaver College students will have the opportunity to attend a chapel with Pepperdine psychology professor Thema Bryant-Davis, an internationally recognized lecturer, performer, speaker and life coach. Bryant-Davis, also a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, will speak at 10 a.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse, offering her reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the historic inauguration of Obama.
Finally, to conclude the week's activities, the School of Law will host a fun opportunity to open the lines of communication about race on Thursday, Jan. 22, with its "One for Me, One for You" cookie campaign. The event offers participants two cookies: one to eat and one to share with someone else. "The point is to remember that there was a man who stood up and fought for our right to simply share things with whomever we want, without persecution, judgment, or fear," says Burton Rojas, coordinator of diversity, recruitment, and student services.
For more information on any of these events, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at (310) 506-4208.
