How will top college in U.S. celebrate the King Holiday?

Forbes Magazine has named Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. the top college in the U.S. How will this prestigious institution celebrate the King Holiday? With a series of events highlighting quilt making, the life of the late civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, the screening of a slideshow entitled "Citizen King" as well as many other artistic and oratorical presentations.

On Sunday, Jan. 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., quilt artists Jeanne Marklin of Williamstown and Betty Warner of Connecticut will present “Unspoken Truth about Color: A Dialogue in Art Quilts about Racism” in the lobby of the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. Twenty-four quilts will be featured, and light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, the Multicultural Center Change Series will present a lecture titled, “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin.” Rustin was one of the first “freedom riders,” served as an advisor to King, and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington.

On Monday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon, there will be a social change media project in Baxter Hall, Paresky. The project includes a film screening of Citizen King and a slideshow of activist, social, and cultural scholars of different social movements.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Williams College librarians Christine Menard and Mercedea Shriver will present “Understanding the Times and Reason for Movement: A Library Exhibit” in Baxter Hall, Paresky. They will provide historical documents, including national newspapers, magazines, record articles, and photos, available for checkout on site.

At noon, President Adam Falk and Muslim Chaplain Bilal Ansari will lead a moment of silence in memory of King and provide a few words on the importance of the day in Baxter Hall. Immediately following, selected essays and poems by 5th and 6th grade Williamstown Elementary School students will be read.

The museum exhibit “African Americans and the American Scene, 1929 – 1945″ will be open for display from 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Williams College Museum of Art. The exhibit looks at the role of African Americans in the visual and performing arts during the Great Depression.

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., local speakers, educators, and activists will present “Continuing the Fight for Justice: Active Engagement in the Berkshires and Beyond” in Baxter Hall, Paresky. They will speak about their involvement with the Spruces mobile home park and the Occupy Movement locally. Students for Social Justice is organizing this programming.

At 7:30 p.m., Stewart Burns, coordinator of community engagement, will give a talk and lead a discussion titled “Breaking the Silence of the Night: Dr. King’s Call to Serve in 2012.” The event will take place in Paresky Theater.

Williams College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1793 which has an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students. The events are sponsored by the Williams College Multicultural Center, the ’62 Center, the Chaplains’ Office, Dining Services, the Center for Community Engagement, Williams College Museum of Art, and Sawyer Library.

Photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.