The 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium will hold special significance this year for a number of reasons, say members of the symposium planning committee and the Office of Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI), organizers of the 17th annual event.

This year’s symposium —titled “Still Separate? Still Unequal? Brown v. the Board of Education, 50 Years Later…”—will kick off a theme semester in honor of the half-century anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board case that ended segregation in schools, says John Matlock, associate vice-provost for academic affairs and director of OAMI. It also will mark the 40th anniversary of King’s historic March on Washington and will celebrate the University’s victory at the Supreme Court this past year.

“We are going to pay homage to the Brown decision and the march, while marking the University’s part in history for its defense of equal access and opportunity,” Matlock says. “In choosing this year’s theme, we wanted to encourage dialogue about how far we have come since 1954, and how far we have to go in our continuing efforts to eliminate disparities, not only in education, but in areas of health, housing and employment as well.”

For Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Lester Monts, this year’s MLK celebration is particularly meaningful.

“Having grown up in Little Rock, Ark., in the 1950s, the Brown v. Board commemoration holds special significance for me,” Monts says. “One of the first major challenges to the Supreme Court’s decision on that case was the crisis surrounding the 1957 integration of Little Rock Central High School. As I reminisce about my experiences at that time, I’m even more aware of the importance of the University’s recent Supreme Court victories in our admissions cases.”

Lani Guinier, the first African American woman appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School, will give the 17th annual MLK Symposium keynote lecture at 10 a.m. Jan. 19 in the newly renovated Hill Auditorium. She will discuss the interplay between legal and political solutions to social justice challenges, the role education plays in a democracy, and the way in which the recent Supreme Court decisions in the Michigan affirmative action cases continue conversation between lawyers, public policy officials and grassroots activists.

Linda Brown Thompson and Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughters of the late Rev. Oliver Brown, whose name is on the landmark 1954 decision, will offer a lecture and interactive dialogue at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 in the Michigan Union Ballroom. Students who serve on the planning committee are coordinating this event.

Other activities include:

• Harvard Law Professor Christopher Edley Jr. at 2 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Michigan Union Ballroom. He will address Brown v. Board and its implications today. Lead sponsor: The University Library

• Children’s Day Program 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Modern Languages Building. The day includes storytelling, music, crafts and lunch. Parents may drop off children ages 8-17 but must accompany children under 8. Sponsors: School of Education and School of Social Work

• “Jazz Divas Summit,” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in Hill Auditorium. Features jazz artists Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Regina Carter. Sponsor: University Musical Society. For ticket information go to http://www.ums.org

Matlock says participation on the 40-person planning committee, comprising faculty, staff, students, administrators and community representatives, has increased dramatically this year, which he believes is due to enthusiasm generated by the lawsuits and the special anniversaries. “Students recognize that this is a unique occasion,” he says. “The victory gives them a sense of optimism.”

Previous MLK symposia have included as many as 75 activities across campus throughout the months of January and February, says Silvia Carranza, program associate in OAMI. She says units planning other MLK events should contact her at (734) 936-1055 or anza@umich.edu by Dec. 10 if they wish to have their activities included in printed promotional materials.

The MLK Symposium Web site, http://www. mlksymposium.umich.edu, will be updated with new events daily. Brown v. Board Theme Semester activities can be found at http://www.umich.edu/~urel/brown50/.