Thursday, Jan. 14

4:30 p.m. Chase Hall Gallery
Exhibition Opening: Unfree Labor and the Production of Language: An Exhibition of Words, an exhibition curated by Czerny Brasuell, director of multicultural affairs, and Baltasar Fra-Molinero, associate professor of Spanish. On display through Jan. 24, the exhibition showcases artifacts reflecting the Creole languages that arose as a result of slavery and the African diaspora.

Sunday, Jan. 16

7 p.m. Bates College Chapel
Service: Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service of Worship, including a sermon by a guest preacher and  music by Bates students. A reception follows in the Multicultural Center.

Monday, Jan. 17   Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, classes are canceled and special programming takes place throughout the day. This year’s King Day theme at Bates is “From Montgomery to Memphis: Martin Luther King’s Legacy of Labor, Justice and Dignity.” For more information, call 207-786-6400.

9 a.m. Chase Hall Lounge
Reception: Meet the students from Morehouse, Spelman and Bates colleges who will participate in the morning debate. Coffee and refreshments will be offered.

9:30 a.m. Chase Hall Lounge
Debate: Students from Morehouse, Spelman and Bates colleges debate the resolution “College Employees Should Unionize.”

10:45 a.m. Bates College Chapel
Keynote Address: The Rev. John Mendez, pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C., and the Winston-Salem Chronicle’s 1994 Man of the Year, is the keynote speaker.

1:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. Pettengill Hall
Concurrent Workshop Sessions: In three sessions, students, staff, guests and faculty lead readings, presentations and discussions on topics involving labor justice. Topics range from the life of a 19th-century African American Bates alumna to the interaction between King-era social activism and labor, from Lewiston labor history to impacts of the Vietnam War on the U.S. working class. See a complete workshop schedule.

4:45 p.m. George and Helen Ladd Library
Gallery Talk: In conjunction with the exhibition The Photography of Griffith Jerome Davis, the photographer’s daughter, Dorothy Davis, discusses his life and work, including his close relationship with the late Morehouse College President Benjamin Mays, Bates Class of 1920.

7:30 p.m. The Olin Arts Center Concert Hall
Performance: The Fruit of Labor Singing Ensemble, the cultural arm of the civil rights and worker rights organization Black Workers for Justice, performs songs from the history of people’s movements for social change.

Thursday, Jan. 20, and Friday, Jan. 21

Read-In: Annual MLK Day Read-In where faculty, staff, students and members of the community share a picture book with Martel School students in grades 4-6 at 1 p.m.. Those interested in volunteering should e-mail Brooke Miller at this bmiller@bates.edu or call 207-786-8273.