Nearly 40 years after his death, Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of national unity and peace are more relevant than ever, say coordinators of an upcoming University of Colorado at Boulder symposium that will focus on the slain civil rights leader's legacy.
"Right now, with so much going on in the world and on campus, it's important for us to remember Dr. King's message," said Debra Frazier, a counselor and coordinator at the CU-Boulder Office of African American Student Services, part of the campus' Center for Multicultural Affairs.
"His message was about social justice and about bringing communities together. It was always about valuing other people's ideas. Most of all, his dream was about bringing peace to a divided world," she said.
Now in its third year, CU-Boulder's Martin Luther King Symposium will take place Jan. 22-24 at the campus' University Memorial Center, and will include panel discussions, storytelling, film screenings and lectures. The event follows the nation's recent celebration of Martin Luther King Day and precedes National Black Awareness Month in February.
The Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church in Denver, will give a keynote address at a reception that will take place Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the UMC, room 235.
Peters marched alongside King, stood on a platform at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as the civil rights leader gave his landmark "I Have a Dream" speech, and was present when King received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Symposium planners are hoping to draw a wider audience to this year's event, including people from all walks of life from the Boulder and Denver metropolitan region. A screening of the film "El Corrido," the story of a Mexican family's struggle to survive in the United States, is one of many events designed to include the histories of other U.S. ethnic groups.
"Dr. King wasn't just about bringing black people together. He was about bringing everybody together," Frazier said.
This year, presenters will touch on issues ranging from ethnic disparities in technology and health care to immigration and social justice. Casandra Sewel, an African American historian and storyteller, will talk about the stories and struggles of people kept as slaves in colonial America.
For more information about the MLK Symposium, visit .