South African Activist to Keynote Martin Luther King Jr. Events

A keynote speech by World Bank managing director Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, a day of student-led events and a sermon by the former U.S. ambassador to South Africa will highlight observances of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. next month at Duke University. The university's Jan. 12-15 celebration of the slain civil rights leader's birthday will focus on South Africa and the "three R's" -- remembrance, reconciliation and restitution -- which have emerged as the country has worked to come to terms with its apartheid past. Organizers of the 12th annual Duke commemoration have added a subtitle to the events this year: "Without truth, no healing; without forgiveness, no future." The phrase, which emerged from the work of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is meant to serve as a motto for the university's ongoing efforts to build community on campus and beyond. The goal of this year's commemoration is to offer a fresh look at race in America by looking at how South Africa is working to face its own racially divided history, said Duke Divinity School Dean L. Gregory Jones, who is chairman of the planning committee. The series of events will address several recurring themes, including: memory as a potential burden and source of healing; the promises and perils of forgiveness and reconciliation; and the ongoing debate about the appropriateness of offering economic restitution or other reparations to victims of racial injustice. Ramphele, 53, who was appointed as one of The World Bank's four managing directors earlier this year, has faced those issues throughout her life. She will offer a reflection during her 4 p.m. address on Sunday, Jan. 14, in Duke Chapel. While a medical student at the University of Natal in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ramphele opposed apartheid and joined the Black Consciousness Movement led by Steve Biko. She earned her medical degree in 1972 and began work as a doctor, but was banned by the white-dominated South African government in 1977 for her political activism. Forced to remain in the countryside for six years, she set up a health clinic and worked with the rural poor -- a job that became her life's work. Ramphele was four-months pregnant with Biko's child when she learned of his murder in the custody of South African police. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Company earlier this year, Ramphele reflected on those days. "It was a very difficult time of my life," she said. "I guess if one were to look at oneself as a piece of metal, I was really going through the experience of a foundry. And one either comes out of that searing heat as ash or you come out as steel, and I think I've been strengthened by that pain." Ramphele continued to care for rural poor during her banishment, which was lifted in 1984. Afterward, she joined her country's academic community, starting as a research fellow at the University of Cape Town. She earned a Ph.D. in social anthropology in 1991 from the University of Cape Town, becoming known for her research on life in the migrant workers' hostels and among township children and adolescents, including the impact of AIDS. In 1996, Ramphele was named vice chancellor of the University of Cape Town, making her the first black woman to ever reach that post -- equivalent to a U.S. college presidency -- in South Africa. A book version of Ramphele's doctoral thesis, A Bed Called Home: Life in the Migrant Labour Hostels of Cape Town, was published in 1993. She co-authored Bounds of Possibility: The Legacy of Steve Biko and Black Consciousness in 1992 and co-edited Uprooting Poverty: The South African Challenge in 1989. Her autobiography, Mamphela Ramphele -- A Life, was published in 1997. In addition to Ramphele's talk on Jan. 14, the Rev. James A. Joseph, U.S. ambassador to South Africa during Ramphele's tenure as vice chancellor, will deliver a sermon during the regular Duke Chapel service. Joseph joined the Duke faculty this fall and is now splitting teaching duties between Duke's Sanford Institute of Public Policy and the University of Cape Town. Duke's commemoration weekend begins on Friday, Jan. 12, with a noon candlelight vigil in Duke Chapel. That campus-wide event will be followed at 1:30 p.m. with a panel discussion on King's legacy to be held in the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. The university has canceled all classes for Monday, Jan. 15, to enable students to observe the holiday. Students have scheduled a series of events for the day, including a discussion with Ramphele, a cultural extravaganza luncheon, a panel discussion on the history of Duke's role in the civil rights movement and a film screening. A canned food drive organized by the students to benefit the Alliance of AIDS Services -- Carolina will be held at the Saturday, Jan. 13, men's basketball game against the University of Virginia. Other related campus events scheduled during the spring semester include: a Friday, Jan. 19, performance by award-winning poet and civil rights activist Amiri Baraka in Reynolds Theater; a Monday, Jan. 29, lecture on "The Rhetoric and Reality of Reconciliation" by University of Cape Town professor John deGruchy in York Chapel; and an April 3 lecture by Alex Boraine, vice chairman of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, sponsored by the Duke Divinity School and Duke's Kenan Institute for Ethics. The following events, scheduled Jan. 12-15, are part of the 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Weekend at Duke. All events, unless otherwise noted, are free and open to the public. Friday, Jan. 12 Noon to 1 p.m. Candlelight Vigil Service: Messages will be offered by the Rev. Michael Battle, Rabbi Bruce Seltzer, Imam Abdul-hafeez Waheed, Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane and Duke Divinity School professor Peter Storey, an anti-apartheid activist, former president of the South African Council of Churches and one-time prison chaplain to Nelson Mandela. A "Service of Lights" will conclude the vigil, which is for all Duke employees, faculty and students. (In Duke Chapel.) 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Student/Faculty Round Table Discussion: "A Threat to Justice Anywhere: Discussing the Role of Reconciliation and Remembrance in a Global Community." Duke faculty to discuss the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. The scheduled participants are: Chouki El Hamel, assistant professor of the practice, African & African-American studies and history; Lee D. Baker, associate professor, cultural anthropology; and graduate students Katherine Lambert-Pennington and Elizabeth Shackleford. (In Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, room 02, West Union.) 3:30 p.m. Film: Screening of "Where the Truth Lies," a South African documentary looking at a South African police officer and the family of a man he killed. Discussion and refreshments to follow. (In Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, room 02, West Union.) Saturday, Jan. 13 3 p.m. Basketball Food Drive: Food drive at men's basketball game against University of Virginia. Food collected by Duke students will be donated to the Alliance of AIDS Services -- Carolina. (At Cameron Indoor Stadium.) 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Gospel Concert: "Lift Every Voice: A Gospel Concert." Featured groups to include United in Praise, United Voices of Praise and Mighty Gospel Inspirations. Readings by Duke students between song selections. (In Duke Chapel.) Sunday, Jan. 14 11 a.m. to noon. Duke Chapel Service: Sermon by Rev. James A. Joseph, former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and now a professor in Duke's Sanford Institute for Public Policy and leader-in-residence of the Hart Leadership Program. Music from African Sanctus, performed by the Duke Chapel Choir and special guests the Shaw University Choir. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 12th Annual Service of Celebration and Commemoration: Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, managing director of The World Bank and former president of the University of Cape Town, will be the keynote speaker. (In Duke Chapel. Reception to follow in Von Canon Hall, Bryan Center.) Monday, Jan. 15 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Breakfast and Conversation: Dr. Mamphela Ramphele will meet with students. (In Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, room 02, West Union.) 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Youth Program: Duke students, in partnership with the Duke Big Brother/Big Sister program, West End Community Center, St. James Baptist Church and other Durham organizations, will host Durham children for a day of entertainment and education. Children will do arts and crafts projects, learn about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and see the on-campus Cultural Extravaganza. (At Duke's Community Service Center, East Campus.) 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Cultural Extravaganza and Luncheon: Performances and presentations by Duke student groups, including Dance Black, United in Praise, DIYA Dancers and others. (In Page Auditorium. A reception, including refreshments and a performance by a children's choir, will follow in Von Canon Hall, Bryan Center.) 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Panel Discussion: On Duke's role in the civil rights movement. (In Von Canon Hall, Bryan Center.) 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Performance: Actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis will perform In Other Words. (In Page Auditorium.)

The following are related activities throughout the Spring 2001 semester.

• Jan. 11: Pivotal Ideas in World Civilizations Lecture. Ebrahim Moosa, visiting associate professor of religion at Stanford University, author of the forthcoming book Al-Ghazali of Tus: Life and Thought, former director of the Center for Contemporary Islam at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and a leading figure in his country's Islamic movement. Part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by the E.L. Wiegand Foundation and the Duke Department of Religion. (8 p.m. in Von Canon Hall, Bryan Center.)
• Jan. 16: SAFE (Students, Administrators and Faculty for Equality) on Campus Kick-Off Celebration. Duke SAFE on Campus members, Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane and the Duke Blue Devil will "celebrate a campus climate that is open, safe and accepting for all members of the Duke community." Remarks to be made by Keohane, Duke University Police Chief Clarence Birkhead, Duke Vice President of Institutional Equity Sally Dickson, faculty from the campus and hospital, as well as members of the SAFE on Campus advisory board. (Noon - 1 p.m. at room 201, Flowers Building, and on steps of Duke Chapel.)
• Jan. 19: Poetry and Music. Amiri Baraka with Blue Ark. Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, is the former chairman of the Congress of Afrikan People, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and winner of the Pen-Faulkner Poetry Award, the Langston Hughes medal and the Obie Award for Best American Play. (9 p.m. in Reynolds Theater, Bryan Center.)
• Jan. 29. Lecture. University of Cape Town professor John deGruchy will discuss "The Rhetoric and Reality of Reconciliation." Sponsored by the Duke Divinity School. (4 p.m. in York Chapel.)
• Feb. 2-17. John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies Opening Celebration. Events running throughout two-week period, including a grand opening and dedication, exhibition of African-American art from John Hope Franklin's private collection, poetry reading by Yvette Christianse, the Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Jr. Lecture on International Studies to be delivered by former U.S. ambassador to South Africa James A. Joseph and symposium on race and reconciliation.
• Feb. 13. Samuel DuBois Cook Society Annual Dinner. Lecture by Sheila Sisulu, South African ambassador to the United States. (Time TBA, Freeman Center for Jewish Life.)
• Feb. 22. Pivotal Ideas in World Civilizations Lecture. Vine Deloria, a Native American activist, author of Custer Died for Your Sins, and professor of history, law, political science at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He is also a former executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and a member of the National Office for Rights of the Indigent. Sponsored by the E.L. Wiegand Foundation and the Duke Department of Religion. (8 p.m. in Page Auditorium.)
• March 7. Pivotal Ideas in World Civilizations Performance. Patricia Williams, a law professor at Columbia University, and Oliver Lake, a poet and musician, will present SKIN, a performance examining issues around race and law. Sponsored by the E.L. Wiegand Foundation and the Duke Department of Religion. (8 p.m. in Reynolds Theater, Bryan Center. Tickets to this free performance will be required; for more information call 660-3500.)
• March. Panel and Question-and-Answer Session. A panel of scholars representing different communities of color will discuss "The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement on Different Communities of Color." Sponsored by Duke's Office of Intercultural Affairs. (Exact date, time and location TBA.)
• April 3. Lecture. Alex Boraine, vice chairman of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Sponsored by the Duke Divinity School and Duke's Kenan Institute for Ethics. (Time and location TBA.)
• April 27-29. Third National Conference on Moral Education in a Diverse Society. A gathering of university and K-12 educators to explore the goals of moral education in the 21st century. Conference themes are: fostering civic renewal; teaching integrity and responsibility; finding common ground; honoring differences; learning lessons from the history of moral education; and overcoming digital/class/race and other divides. The conference is sponsored by Duke's Kenan Institute for Ethics and organizations at N.C. Central University, Shaw University and N.C. State University. (For more information, see http://kenan.ethics.duke.edu.)