Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. — Part 1 of 5

Dr. King rides with fellow nonviolent activist, Rev. Glenn Smiley, on the first integrated bus in Montgomery, Ala., in December 1956. The historic bus boycott shut down the city’s transit system. Before the boycott, 70 percent of the riders were black. For more than a year, they walked, carpooled with friends or rode in church station wagons until the city agreed to integrate buses. (Photo courtesy of Corbis/Bettmann-UPI.)

In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, UNMC Today will feature a series of photographs and quotations from the civil rights leader. In today’s excerpt, King reflects on the conditions of Birmingham, Ala., during the height of the city’s movement to integrate.

“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963

Plan to attend

The 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration, sponsored by UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, will be Monday, Jan. 21 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Storz Pavilion on the lower level of Clarkson Tower. The event is free, open to the public and includes free lunch for the first 300 people.

Speaking at the event will be nationally known actor and native Omahan, John Beasley.

At age 45, he became a professional actor. Some of his recurring TV appearances include: “CSI,” “The Pretenders,” “Millenium,” and “Everwood.”

He is also widely recognized for his major motion picture credits which include: “The Sum of All Fears” (2002) with James Cromwell and Morgan Freeman; “The Apostle” (1997) with Robert Duvall and “Losing Isaiah” (1995) with Jessica Lange and Halle Berry.

In 2002, he founded the John Beasley Theater and Workshop in Omaha. Through the organization, Beasley discovers new talent, recruits nationally known actors for local performances and annually produces several plays which focus on the African American experience.

For more information, contact Jo Giles at 559-4696 or jgiles@unmc.edu.