Carleton College will host a service in celebration and remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. The event will be led by Reverend Oliver White, co-pastor at Clark Memorial United Church of Christ in South St. Paul, and feature music performed by the Carleton Jubilee Singers, under the direction of Lawrence Burnett.
Reverend White will deliver a sermon entitled, “What a Trumpet is Expected, a Flute will not Suffice.” He hopes to enlighten the community about the importance of social activism, by shedding light on past and current issues related to poverty and civil rights in the U.S.
As a young man in Detroit, Reverend White had the opportunity to work with Dr. King, inspiring a “lifetime of being a social activist with preaching privileges." White has been involved in numerous issues related to poverty and civil rights. In addition to serving several congregations, he has worked as a staff columnist for several daily newspapers and as a keyboardist for Motown Records.
White has been a regular featured speaker at Carleton since the 1980s, when the late Senator Paul Wellstone, then a professor of political science, invited him to speak to his students.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Office of the Chaplain. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4003. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street, between College and Winona Streets, in Northfield.