Jackson State University will celebrate the 47th Annual Martin Luther King Convocation at 10 a.m. Friday with dismissed classes until 1 p.m. so students, faculty and staff can attend.
According to Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, classes will be cancelled Friday from 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Faculty are encouraged to accompany their students to this important event,” Renick said.
To be held in JSU’s Rose E. McCoy Auditorium, 1400 John R. Lynch St., the Convocation is free and open to the public.
According to Dr. Robert Luckett, director of JSU’s Margaret Walker Center for the Study of the African-American Experience, the birthday celebration will kick off the Margaret Walker Centennial year with a keynote address by renowned scholar and author Paula Giddings.
Giddings, a professor of African-American studies at Smith College, is the author of three books on the social and political history of African-American women.
The Convocation will be immediately followed by the For My People Awards luncheon in the JSU Student Center Ballroom.
Seating at the luncheon is limited. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved through the Margaret Walker Center at 601-979-2055 or mwa@jsums.edu.
Renick made the announcement Monday.