As a part of Northwestern’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day programming, students will have the opportunity to spend an evening both immersing themselves in Chicago’s history of segregation and racism and experiencing the powerful work of Northwestern’s Black student artists.
On January 19 in the McCormick Auditorium at Norris University Center, a screening of the AJ+ documentary “Inside Chicago” will kick off the evening’s program at 5 p.m. The multi-part documentary, featuring interviews with historians and local community activists, gives historical background to the contemporary issues of housing segregation, educational disparities, and gun violence that still affect the lives of millions of Chicagoans. A panel, including local recording artist Add-2 and Maria Hadden of the Participatory Budgeting Project in Chicago, will share their perspectives on the documentary and facilitate a larger group discussion.
After a buffet and reception at 6:30 p.m., Lift Ev’ry Voice will feature open-mic performances from Black Northwestern students, giving them a “megaphone” to share up to ten minutes of plays, songs, speeches, and poetry. Between 7 – 8 p.m., students will have the opportunity to take the stage in McCormick Auditorium to share their work with a larger audience and showcase their immense talents with the campus community.
With these two back-to-back events, we hope to provide an engaging evening that showcases the power of both art and activism in addressing the pressing issues on our campus and in local communities. We look forward to seeing you there! For more information, visit www.northwestern.edu/mlk.