Saratoga's MLK observance to feature Skidmore contributors

Four members of the Skidmore community will participate in the Saratoga Springs weekend titled “Unfinished Business,” a celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Amon Emeka and Jennifer Mueller, members of the Sociology faculty, will help launch the weekend schedule on Friday, Jan. 15. At 6:30 p.m. the Dr. King Challenge, “Speak up and sing out against racial and social injustice!” will begin at the Saratoga Arts Center, 320 Broadway. The film Cracking the Codes will be screened, and Emeka and Mueller will facilitate a discussion following the movie. The evening also will feature music and spoken word performances by a variety of artists. Suggested donation is $10.

Hollyday Hammond, coordinator of the celebration, said, “"The planning committee is thrilled to have Skidmore professors Amon Emeka and Jenni Mueller participate in our community observance and celebration of Dr. King. We planned all of our events to allow open, honest, thoughtful and inclusive dialogue about racial and social injustice. We need a lot more of that in Saratoga. Amon and Jenni are the perfect people to lead and facilitate such a dialogue."

On Monday, Jan. 18, Garland Nelson ’96 and Cara Benson ’04 are among the participants in a “Mass Incarceration and Racial Inequality" event. Scheduled from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, the free program features Nelson, a well-known musician/entertainer, as emcee, and Benson, an author and poetry teacher, as program participant. She taught poetry at Mount McGregor Correctional Facility for about eight years and will introduce several of her students, who also will participate in the discussion.

Admission to the Monday event is free.  

For more details about the multi-day event, which includes a day of service on Monday, Jan. 18, please click here.