King honored with U. events

(See sidebar article below.) (See below for corrections.) There was sock-stuffing, banner painting, a candlelight vigil and even some heated controversy as Penn's campus came together in celebration and remembrance of the birthday of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday. The holiday, in observance for a third year at Penn, was hoped to be a "day on" rather than a day off. The day opened with a community breakfast at Houston Hall's Hall of Flags, with addresses from University President Judith Rodin, keynote speaker Minister Lorina Marshall-Blake and several students. Marshall-Blake, the vice president of government relations for Independence Blue Cross and associate minister at Vine Memorial Baptist Church in Philadelphia, spoke about the motto of this year's event, "Justice, Peace and Service." "Dr. King used positive constant action against poverty, racism and war," she said. "We are facing these same issues now. We need to be concerned about Korea, Iraq.... Our destinies are intertwined." In introducing Blake, Rodin emphasized the importance of service. "Penn has every reason to take pride in its achievements," she said. "It is a leader in service learning." "The walls that separate us from West Philadelphia are tumbling down," Rodin added. But not everyone agreed with this statement. In a performance, College junior Carlos Gomez took the opportunity to criticize Rodin for not doing enough to stand up against social injustice both at Penn and in the community at large. "You speak out against anti-Semitism in newspaper articles/Portending to fight prejudice and discrimination/Yet you comply/With the USA Patriot Act/Following the lead of Stalinist Russia/You comply with Homeland Security following the lead of apartheid South Africa and Third Reich Germany/... Oh yes, I did just call you a Nazi," Gomez recited in a poem he authored. The performance raised eyebrows and drew both criticism and applause, with some audience members likening him to a young King and others firmly rejecting the comparison. "You have to take both perspectives in -- it allows you to think," said Roz Stanley, wife of Penn Executive Vice President Clifford Stanley. "I wanted to convey the message that the Penn student body is neither satisfied nor fooled by the compliant and passive stance both the administration and Dr. Rodin have taken with regard to the inherently racist, classist and nationalistic government policies," Gomez said of his comments later in an e-mail statement. Ira Winston, School of Arts and Sciences executive director of Computing and Educational Technology Services, was outraged by the speech. "It was uncalled for," said Winston, who yelled for Gomez to sit down. "He's allowed to say what he wants, but when you start calling people Nazis, that's pretty serious." "He pointed out that we still have a lot of work to do," said Machamma Quinichett, associate director of the African American Resource Center and event organizer. However, she said she found the speech to be "highly inappropriate." However, "aside from the surprise at the breakfast," she added, "the day of service projects went really well." Indeed, Houston Hall bustled with people into the afternoon as Bodek Lounge was transformed into a center of service. Members of both the Penn and Philadelphia community were present, including the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Upward Bound program, Penn VIP mentoring program and several kids from area middle schools. There was also book-sorting training for community members interested in volunteering with the Philadelphia Reads program. Kids from the Upward Bound program and other community organizations gathered around tables with markers, glitter, glue and construction paper to decorate cards for retirement homes and design lap blankets for senior centers. And an assembly line was formed at the sock-stuffing table, where toiletries and other knick-knacks were wrapped in socks to give to homeless shelters. "It brought people from different races, areas, classes, sexual orientations," Quinichett said. "I think Dr. King would have been proud." Across campus in the ARCH building, young kids from around the community gathered to paint banners with inspirational King quotes such as "We're all the same, we're just painted different colors" and "If you can't be the sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are." Danielle Bujnak, a graduate fellow and head of the banner making committee, said that in addition to the banners, books on King and civil rights activist Rosa Parks were made available for the adults to read to the children while they painted. "We felt like this was an opportunity for the kids to learn about King and his legacy and to have fun," Bujnak said. Several volunteers headed away from campus to help with projects in the community. Empty the Shelters, a Penn Service group, offered a "Reality Tour of North Philadelphia." Starting at the Kensington Welfare Rights Union office in northern Philadelphia, the group was led on a tour of nearby welfare centers and homeless shelters by a formerly homeless father of three. Afterwards, participants distributed food throughout the neighborhood. "We wanted to bring awareness to this side of Philadelphia," College senior Samantha Heller said, adding that around 40 people, including some Penn, Drexel and area middle school students attended the event. Martha Cooney, a College sophomore who heads Educational Technology Services, said the group set up the tour -- which is done multiple times throughout the year -- for the first time on Martin Luther King day because, "the day is not just about action, but awareness. Martin Luther King spoke about human rights, economic human rights and conducted a poor people's campaign," she said. "We wanted to highlight the poverty aspect of King's campaign."

Additionally, clean up projects took place at nearby Wilson Middle and Sayer Elementary schools. The day also featured a teach-in on King and economic human rights, sponsored by the School of Social Work at the Hall of Flags, with speakers from the community. The culmination of the festivities occurred later in the evening with a candlelight vigil sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. -- a tradition that precedes formal observance by the University. Around 100 participants braved the cold and wind, which left the vigil light-less, to march from DuBois College House to Houston Hall's Hall of Flags, singing "We Shall Overcome," "This Little Light of Mine" and even "Happy Birthday." The ceremony included performances by the a cappella group Inspiration and opportunities for participants to informally speak out on issues ranging from the legacy of King to the salient political issues. The day concluded with an affirmation of commitment to his legacy -- to justice, peace and service.

Few Penn students participate in project-filled day By Laura Sullivan While most Penn students spent yesterday morning asleep in their beds, holed up in the library or avoiding below-freezing temperatures, a few hundred chose to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday through service and discussion. "I'm glad that Penn has continued to commemorate the life of Dr. King in such a meaningful way," School of Education graduate student Patricia Louison said. There was "meaning and cohesion to the events where most schools don't put forth that much effort." Likewise, College senior Paul Vaca praised the evident organization and time that went into planning the day's events as he crafted a glitter-adorned card in honor of the holiday. Nevertheless, Vaca also criticized the organizers for not rallying up more participation. "I wish they'd gotten their act together in terms of advertising," Vaca said. "There are disappointingly few students" present. "It makes me wonder if the present program is the way to go about it," he continued. Vaca suggested that possibly using class time would better involve students in the history and importance of the progression of civil rights. Also dismayed by lack of student involvement, Kenny Yarmosh, a first-year telecommunications graduate student and a graduate advisor in Hill College House, criticized his hall for not coming out to participate in the day's events. "I was really upset with them and wrote them a nasty email," Yarmosh admitted. He wanted his hall to place rushing aside just for the day, "put down the books, come out and think about someone other than themselves." Yarmosh did just that as he spent the morning stuffing socks with toiletries and other items to create gifts for West Philadelphia area shelters. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. women came out in full force to contribute as well. Wharton junior Morgan Kenner, along with 10 other sisters, arrived early and was prepared to stick around for the duration of the morning to sew and decorate blankets for charity. "There are so many obvious reasons to help out," Kenner said. While some students stayed on campus to celebrate the holiday, others ventured into the city for a different perspective. "It's mind boggling," College sophomore Julija Zubac said of a trip through poverty-stricken areas. "It doesn't look like we've lived up to the legacy that we're celebrating." Like Zubac, many found themselves at the end of the day feeling they had much more to accomplish. Emphasizing this sentiment, the celebration culminated in a vigil march and unity circle. Participants were encouraged to come forth from the circle to reflect on the holiday. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brother and vigil sponsor Weldon McMillan stressed the importance of the past and of continuing to pursue King's ideals. "There's a reason there are no seats," the Wharton senior explained to the assembled circle in Houston Hall. "When you're standing, you're at attention." And this commitment reinforces the message found on the commemorative plaque located in the DuBois College House lobby. The plaque, dedicated to the Black Student League for establishing King's birthday as a holiday at Penn three years ago, reads in King's words: "I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind." And as the holiday's hundreds of participants avowed, he did.

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