6:00 p.m., keynote/candlelight vigil, Benton Chapel
5:00 p.m., reception, Tillett Lounge
“Votes, Voices, and Victory: How far have we come?”
Charles McDew, Chairman, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) 1961—1964
Introduction by The Reverend James Lawson
Charles McDew was one of the founders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and led
the group from 1961 to1964. He has devoted his life to issues of social and political change, to the empowerment and development of local black leadership, to civil and human rights, and to the fight against racism.
An activist as well as a theoretician, he led his first demonstration in the eighth grade, protesting violations
of the religious freedom of Amish students in his hometown of Massillon, Ohio.
MLK Jr. Day Candlelight Vigil
A candlelight vigil in memory of MLK and in honor of the many activists past and present who are still fighting for the ideals and values that he represented will follow the lecture. Performances by Vanderbilt’s Jeremiah Generation Praise Team, VU Spoken Word, and Nu Image – a Nashville a cappella
group.
This event is co-sponsored by Peabody College of Education and Human Development.