Dr. King and Dallas 2010

Here' information on an event that has become annual and has assumed considerable importance in the larger Dallas community.  Hope you'll plan to attend!

Contact: Bill Pemberton/Mandy Mulliez, Forté PR
Phone: (214) 890-7912, (214)701-8005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 6, 2009

THE DALLAS INSTITUTE TO PRESENT 5TH ANNUAL MLK SYMPOSIUM FEATURING AUTHOR DR. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON

DALLAS, Jan. 6, 2009: The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture will present the Fifth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium, “I Have Dream: The Promissory Note,” on January 18, 2010, 6PM-8:45PM, at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Keynote speaker is author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who was named by Ebony magazine as one of the hundred most influential black Americans. ALON USA is the presenting sponsor.

“The Institute's Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, held annually on the MLK National Holiday, aims at examining the depth and breadth of Rev. King's achievement and legacy, each year from a different perspective,” said Dr. Larry Allums, director of The Dallas Institute. “This 5th annual Symposium will focus on one of the most pressing and relevant questions of our day: what does the election of President Barack Obama signify in terms of Rev. King's lifelong struggle to realize equality for all people in America?”

In Dr. King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., he said, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” The program title draws on this speech for its reference to “the promissory note.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is the author of sixteen books, including “April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America,” “Holler if You Hear Me,” “Is Bill Cosby Right?” and “I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.” He is currently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and lives in Washington, D.C.

The evening will begin with a reception and light buffet at 6PM. The program will begin at 7 PM with Dr. Dyson’s keynote address, followed by a discussion until 8:45 PM.

The MLK Symposium is open to the public, but attendance is by reservation only. Admission is $20; admission for teachers and students is $10. Group rate for 10 or more is $15 per ticket. To register, call the Winspear box office at (214) 880-0202 or go to www.attpac.org. For more information, call (214) 871-2440 or visit www.dallasinstitute.org.

Corporate sponsors include: ALON USA (Presenting Sponsor); Baylor Health Care System; On-Target Supplies & Logistics; AT&T; and Oncor.

Individual sponsors include: Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Black, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. John R. Castle, Jr.; and Mr. and Mrs. J. McDonald Williams.

The program is also supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

Community partners include: Central Dallas Ministries; E.K. Bailey Ministries, Inc.; Foundation for Community Empowerment; and the African American Museum.

Members of the MLK Advisory Council for The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture include: Albert C. Black, Jr., president and CEO, On-Target Supplies & Logistics; John R. Castle, Jr., attorney and current chairman, Dallas Foundation Board of Governors; LaQuita Hall, AT&T vice president, Southwest Core Network; Shirley Ison-Newsom, director of Learning Communities, Dallas Independent School District; Veletta Forsythe Lill, executive director, Dallas Arts District; Dr. Nancy Cain Marcus, community leader and adjunct professor of humanities, University of Dallas and Southern Methodist University; Jeff Morris, president and CEO, ALON USA; and Ellen Williams, community leader.

The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization with a 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders. Created in 1980, The Dallas Institute is Dallas’ only center for creative and intellectual exchange that provides enriching programs for the public that are grounded in the wisdom of the humanities, laying the foundation for Dallas to realize its full potential for cultural excellence. The Dallas Institute is located at 2719 Routh St., Dallas, Texas 75201. For information, call (214) 871-2440, or visit www.DallasInstitute.org.

Note to Editors:
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will also be the keynote speaker at a special Teen Symposium at 3:30PM that afternoon at The Dallas Institute. His audience will be select junior and senior high school students from local public and private schools and the session will be aimed at encouraging the next generation to engage in the conversation that will continue to affect their futures.