Dr. Luther Ivory was there when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech on April 3, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Ivory was a 15-year-old gang member who came to the speech that night to steal from the cars of other attendees. The night, however, became a turning point for Ivory, who went on to become a King scholar.
Ivory, retired associate professor of religion at Rhodes College, will provide his unique perspective on King’s dream during Wofford’s King Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 15. He will give his talk, “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King as Prophetic Dreamer,” at 11 a.m. in Olin Theater in the Franklin W. Olin Building.
Interim kicks off on Jan. 8, giving students an opportunity to experiment and embrace topics outside of their normal discipline. The college also opens its “Defining or Dividing?: Contemporary Issues in American Culture and History” series with a discussion of critical race theory by Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute, mental health first aid training, and the opening of a new exhibition by 2023-24 Whetsell Fellow Maggie Genoble in the Richardson Family Art Gallery.
More information on all events can be found in the Daily Announcements or on the campus calendar.
Monday, Jan. 15
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King as Prophetic Dreamer
11 a.m., Olin Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
On April 3, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his last speech in Memphis. A 15-year-old gang member was in attendance that night, having come to rob attendees' cars. Forced inside by bad weather, Dr. Luther Ivory, retired associate professor of religion at Rhodes College, was transformed that night from a hustler into a King scholar. Please join us at 11 a.m. in Olin 101 for Dr. Ivory’s unique perspective on Dr. King's Dream. For more information, contact Dr. Dwain Pruitt ’95, chief equity officer.
Thursday, Jan. 18
America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything
6 p.m., Leonard Auditorium
Wofford launches its “Defining or Dividing?: Contemporary Issues in American Culture and History” series with a talk by Christopher Rufo. A senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute, Rufo is the author of the New York Times-bestselling book, “America's Cultural Revolution.” Arguably the leading conservative critic of DEI initiatives in American life, Rufo’s research and activism have inspired a presidential order and legislation in more than 20 states. For more information, contact Dr. Dwain Pruitt ’95, chief equity officer.
Thursday, Feb. 1
Black History Month: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement
6 p.m., Leonard Auditorium
Flutist and educator Galen Abdur-Razzaq will open Wofford’s 2023 Black History Month observance with “Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement,” a lecture and music performance that chronicles jazz history and illustrates how jazz became an advocacy for the Civil Rights Movement, with proceeds from jazz concerts used to finance major events such as the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington in 1963.
EXHIBITIONS
Monday, Jan. 8-Wednesday, Feb. 28
Whetsell Fellowship exhibition
Richardson Family Art Gallery
Each year the Whetsell Fellowship is awarded to a student artist, providing funding and mentoring for a personal project. The 2023-24 Whetsell Fellow, Maggie Genoble, will present her solo exhibition in the Richardson Family Art Gallery during January and February. Genoble will give a gallery talk on Thursday, Feb. 22.