Dream Week 2012 Events

For its fourth consecutive year, the Diversity Committee at Centenary College of Louisiana will celebrate the legacy and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a week-long tribute of events taking place on the College campus January 16^th-21^st.

In keeping with the spirit of Dr. King’s accomplishments, Dream Week 2012 will honor his contributions with events designed to capture the essence of his message, but also provide the opportunity to reflect on the past while seeking an opportunity to act upon the promise of the future.

Events

Events are free and open to the public unless noted, and include:

Monday, Jan. 16^th, MLK Service Day
(location and times to be determined)

The week kicks off with Centenary students, staff, faculty, and alumni taking part in the school's 4^th Annual MLK Service Day. The service project will consist of participants working at local schools and non-profit organizations in the Highland area and participating in various beautification efforts.

Sign up with our online registration form.

Tuesday, Jan. 17^th, CONVOCATION, 11 a.m.
Whited Room of Bynum Commons

Phoebe Ferguson and Keith Plessy will be the featured speakers. Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson are the descendants of the individuals involved in the landmark Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the constitutionality of Jim Crow laws mandating segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. It stood from 1896 until the court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.

As founders of The Plessy and Ferguson Foundation, they now work together to create new and innovative ways to teach the history of Civil Rights through understanding this historic case and its effect on the American conscience.

Keith M. Plessy, is a longtime bellman at The Marriott hotel. He is a native of New Orleans and a graduate of John McDonogh High School and NOCCA - the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. When he was a student at Valena C. Jones Elementary School in the 1960s, Keith discovered he had a famous last name. A gifted artist, he was recruited to return to Valena C. Jones elementary school in 1979 to paint more than a hundred portraits of civil rights leaders on the interior walls of the school, His paintings are still there today. Currently, as president of the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation, Keith works tirelessly reaching out to civil rights leaders, activists, and community members to let them know about the foundation and to seek their input and guidance in developing programs.

Phoebe Ferguson is a New Orleans native. She worked as a successful photographer and filmmaker in New York City for 20 years, before returning home. Right after Katrina, she drove a truck full of supplies from Brooklyn, New York to the families in her film, who lost everything during the storm. Eight months later, she moved back to her roots to finish her documentary, Member of the Club, and start a new life as co-founder of The Plessy and Ferguson Foundation. Ms. Ferguson's special interests are ensuring equity in education and developing programs that combine history and the arts. Ms. Ferguson holds degrees from Art Center College of Design and New York University.

Tuesday, Jan. 17^th, film Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
Robinson Film Center, located at 617 Texas St, Shreveport (Discussion to follow film)

Shot largely before Hurricane Katrina and edited afterwards, Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans is a riveting tale of hope, heartbreak and resiliency set in New Orleans' most fascinating neighborhood.

Faubourg Tremé is arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America, the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement in the South and the home of jazz. While the Tremé district was damaged when the levees broke, this is not another Katrina documentary. Every frame is a tribute to what African American communities have contributed even under the most hostile of conditions.. It is a film of such effortless intimacy, subtle glances and authentic details that only two native New Orleanians could have made it.

Our guide through the neighborhood is New Orleans' Times Picayune columnist Lolis Eric Elie who bought a historic house in Tremé in the 1990's when the area was struggling to recover from the crack epidemic. Rather than flee the blighted inner city, Elie begins renovating his dilapidated home and in the process becomes obsessed with the area's mysterious and neglected past. The film follows the progress of his renovation, which eventually emerges as a poignant metaphor for post-Katrina reconstruction of New Orleans.

This film is imaginative, revealing, and disturbing. The images are unforgettable, reminding us of who we are and who we have been. Today many Tremé residents are unable to return home and the neighborhood is once again fighting many of the same civil rights battles first launched here a hundred and fifty years ago. Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans celebrates the resiliency of this community and how they managed to carve out a unique and expressive culture and history that would enrich America and the world.

Wednesday, Jan. 18^th, Philosophy Discussion Group, 7:30 p.m., 2910 Building

Topic To Be Determined

Thursday, Jan. 19^th, Nubian Cultural Center Performers, 7 p.m., Marjorie Lyons Playhouse

Local non-profit educational organization, Nubian Cultural Outreach Center will be headlining a performance including interpretations of African dances/drumming. The performance will also include appearances by local poets who will present spoken word pieces based around the theme of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Saturday, Jan. 21^st, Mentorship Training, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Kilpatrick Auditorium

The training is free and open to all community members who are interested in becoming a mentor. The training will offer information on how to become a mentor, what skills and traits to possess when mentoring and give insight on best practices to utilize as a mentor.

Please RSVP to: 318-553-0392 or email by Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Sponsors

Dream Week 2012 is sponsored by the Centenary College Diversity Committee, SGA, the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, and the Office of Global Engagement. For more information on the Dream Week events, contact Dr. Chad Fulwider at 318.869.5185.