[ EDITORS: You are invited to cover either or both of these events.Please call the MIT News Office for details.]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson and Bobby Joe Leaster, who served 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, will be the guest speakers at MIT's 26th annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration's main event is the annual breakfast at 7:30am Thursday in Morss Hall in Walker Memorial. The theme is "Engineering Bold Leadership For the 21st Century/ A Blueprint for Full Participation In Academia, Government and Industry." Dr. Jackson, who received the SB and PhD in physics from MIT and went on to become the first African American woman to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will be the keynote speaker. MIT President Charles M. Vest will introduce her after delivering his own remarks.
The Celebration culminates with an all-day conference Saturday on "Community Justice," sponsored by MIT's Center for Reflective Practices. The program will consist of environmental, political and economic justice workshops for adults and sessions for middle and high school students on adolescent wellness, youth entrepreneurship and technical careers. Registration will be from 9-930am on the third floor of the Stratton Student Center. Admission is free and the sessions are open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
Mr. Leaster will speak from 2:15-3pm on "Ultimate Justice." Charges against him were dismissed in 1986 after attorneys showed that he was convicted of first degree murder as a result of an erroneous eyewitness identification.
