A week of activities commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 UCLA visit will kick off on April 17 with a free screening for hundreds of local students of “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice,” a documentary about the 18 African American athletes, including Jesse Owens, who competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The screening and a follow-up panel discussion, sponsored by the LA84 Foundation supporting youth sports in Los Angeles, launch a week of activities that include daily film screenings as part of the Reel Talk Film Series. Activities conclude on April 24 for UCLA’s fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Day. The day features lectures, workshops, interactive activities and more as part of the university’s support of King’s legacy and its exploration of contemporary and historical social justice issues.
Hundreds of students from grades 4 through 12 are expected to participate in this year’s programming, which focuses on the role of students and student athletes as leaders. Students attending the alma maters of some of the 1936 Berlin Olympic athletes have been selected to participate.
Tuesday, April 17
8:45 a.m., Schoenberg Music Building
Hundreds of middle and high school students arrive at UCLA for the film screening, panel discussion and lunch
10 a.m., Royce Hall
“Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” film screening sponsored by the LA84 Foundation
11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Royce Hall
Post-screening panel and Q&A featuring Renata Simril, president and CEO of LA84; Deborah Riley Draper, director of “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice;” Tony Azevedo, five-time Olympian; and Kathy Robinson Young, Jackie’s niece and a board member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Royce Quad
Visiting student lunch before buses depart at 1 p.m.
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Royce Hall West
VIP luncheon celebrating Draper, the film director’s, and her work to unite the stories presented in her documentary. The event will also honor the 1936 African-American Olympians, including several with UCLA connections, like alumni James LuValle and Archie Williams, and Mack Robinson, brother of UCLA alumnus Jackie Robinson. The reception will also announce the 2018 James C. Williamson Award honorees. This award, which reflects on the many firsts and notable achievements of Bruins, is given in honor of Williamson, UCLA’s first black student-athlete.
Wednesday, April 18
6 p.m., Northwest Campus Auditorium
“The Rape of Recey Taylor” film screening
Panel featuring Brenda Stevenson, Nickoll Family Endowed Chair in History at UCLA; Funmilola Fagbamila; adjunct professor of Pan-African studies at UCLA; and moderator Marcus Hunter, professor and chair, UCLA Department of African American Studies.
Thursday, April 19
6 p.m., De Neve Auditorium
“Healing Justice” film screening
Friday, April 20th
6 p.m., De Neve Auditorium
“Bending The Arc” film screening
Saturday, April 21
6 p.m., De Neve Auditorium
“Abacus: Small Enough To Jail” film screening
Sunday, April 22
6 p.m., Northwest Campus Auditorium
“Dolores” film screening
Monday, April 23
6 p.m., Northwest Auditorium
“The Post” film screening
Tuesday, April 24
9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wilson Plaza
X-S.T.R.E.A.M Interactive Pavilion
More than 25 UCLA student groups and other university, campus and community experts will demonstrate the intersection of science, technology, recreation, engineering, art and math to more than 800 elementary school students.
10 a.m. to 12 p.m., various locations (events subject to change; visit the MLK Remembrance Day page on Facebook to confirm the day’s events.)
“Teaching MLK in the 21st Century”
Panels, readings and workshops hosted by campus and community experts, to engage 400 to 600 high school and college students in discussions.
- The Black Forum in Haynes Hall, room 153: “Afrofuturism 2.0: MLK The Rise of Astro-Blackness” workshop
- Bunche Library media center: “Dancing In Blackness” reading
- Student Activities Center conference rooms 1, 2 and 3 (events subject to change)
- “Students and Social Change” workshop
- “The Social Impact of Athletes” workshop
- “Instinct of a Drum Major” workshop
- “Diversity in the Creative Economy” workshop
12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Meyerhoff Park
Broadcast of King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech
1 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., James West Alumni Center’s Collins Alumni Conference Room
Alumni retrospective discussion exploring “Black Man In A Changing American Context,” a course offered in the 1967-68 academic year that was developed by Virgil Roberts, who graduated from UCLA in 1968, and others.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Royce Hall West
“The Reckoning of Accountability”
The inaugural Royce Hall Lecture will be delivered by William Pepper, and focus on his recent book, “The Plot to Kill King: The Truth Behind the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.”
5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., Royce Hall West
VIP reception and James C. Williamson Award presentations
The award recognizes deserving campus or community stakeholders who have worked to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.