2011 King Day Convocation on January 17

Knox College will present its annual Martin Luther King Day Convocation at 11 a.m., Monday, January 17, in Harbach Theatre, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, on the Knox campus in Galesburg, Illinois. The convocation is free and open to the public.

Duane Oldfield, associate professor of political science, will give the convocation address, "The Civil Courage of Martin Luther King." Two speakers will read from their own poems -- Fred Hord, professor and chair of Black Studies; and Monica Prince, a junior from Lakewood, Colorado. Daniel McDavitt, visiting instructor in music, will conduct the Knox College Choir. (Photos above, Fred Hord speaks at a prior King Day Convocation, below right, Duane Oldfield)

A member of the Knox College faculty since 1995, Oldfield studies social movements, religion and politics, and the impact of globalization on communities. His publications include the book "The Right and the Righteous: The Christian Right Confronts the Republican Party." Oldfield is a graduate of Reed College. He earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of California-Berkeley.

King, a civil rights leader, minister and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was assassinated in 1968. January 15 is the anniversary of King's birthday, and the national holiday is celebrated on the third Monday in January.

Also on January 17, the Knox College Office of Admission will host an open house for prospective students and families.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 45 states and 48 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.