Southeastern hosts Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance Jan. 23
Contact: Christina Chapple
1/17/08
HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University will celebrate the legacy of the late Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a candlelight processional and remembrance program on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
The event, sponsored annually by the Kappa Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, will begin at 6 p.m. at Washington Hall.
Participants will walk to the War Memorial Student Union, where Alpha Phi Alpha will continue the tradition of laying a wreath at the tree planted in King's memory in the Student Union park. Shortly after the laying of the wreath, a special program will begin in the Student Union Theatre.
The guest speaker will be long-time educator and administrator Huel Davis Perkins, whose career has included distinguished service at Louisiana State University and Southern University and with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
“Dr. Perkins was an outstanding administrator and is a renowned orator who has spoken in many venues across the country,” said Southeastern Vice President for Student Affairs Marvin L. Yates. “We are honored to have him as the speaker for our annual remembrance program. His remarks will provoke much thought among our students.”
At LSU, Perkins served as professor of humanities, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs, and as both executive and special assistant to the chancellor.
Prior to joining LSU, Perkins worked at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., and at Southern University, where he was dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, and served as deputy director of education programs for the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C.
Perkins retired from LSU as Professor Emeritus of Humanities but has returned to the institution several times in various positions. The university named a doctoral fellowship program in his honor.
A native of Baton Rouge and a 1947 graduate of Southern University, Perkins holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. He has served on a number of local, state and national committees, including the board of advisors of the J. W. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship program.
Perkins is the author of five books and contributed chapters to three other books. He has also written more than 75 articles and book reviews. He is the composer of the words and music of the Southern University Fight Song and “The Sweetheart Song” of Alpha Phi Alpha.
For additional information, contact Southeastern’s Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs, 985-549-3850.
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