Campus to celebrate 'the power of one'

Many students are probably planning on relaxing Monday, but there will be plenty to do around campus and in the community on the day off from class. A range of events will celebrate the life and ideas of the man responsible for the holiday, Martin Luther King Jr.\n"The focus this year is 'the power of one' -- the ability of a person or group to bring about change for the better," said Tiffany Combs, program coordinator for the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. \nThe celebration is made up of events that are sponsored by many different organizations on the IU campus, such as the IU-Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Committee and the Social Justice League. Some events are focused on the IU campus, and others provide an opportunity for those on campus to reach out to the community. \nCombs suggested that students attend a lecture given by Naomi Tutu, the daughter of South African bishop and human-rights activist Desmond Tutu, in the Whittenberger Auditorium at 5 p.m. Sunday.\n"I think it will draw a lot of crowd response, due to her father's work as well as her own involvement in working with poverty," Combs said. \nTutu will be speaking on how King's vision made an impact nationally as well as globally.\nStudent Activities Office adviser Sarah Wilcox also suggested students attend the Unity Summit, which will be Monday from noon to 3 p.m. in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall. \nThe annual event, sponsored by the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, provides activities, discussion and group work by students, and presentations from student organizations.\n"It's a unique opportunity for students to talk with each other about what's happening on campus." \nEric Love, coordinator of the event, said attendance has grown in recent years, and the effects have been rewarding. \nResidence halls have been and will be hosting various events throughout next week as well as the rest of the month, said Barry Magee, assistant director of Residential Programs and Services' diversity education. \n"A lot of the events are focused around a current context for the civil-rights movement -- 'What does this mean for me today? What is my role?'" Magee said.\nThe listing of events at dorms is available at www.cue.indiana.edu. For a list of volunteer opportunities, visit www.bloomington.in.gov/cfrd. A full list of events is available at www.indiana.edu/~mlkjr/calendar.html.