51品茶to host civil rights icon Bettie Mae Fikes for annual MLK celebration
The 51品茶 will welcome renowned civil rights activist Bettie Mae Fikes as part of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
The event, 鈥淢s. Bettie Mae Fikes: Voice of Selma,鈥 will be held at noon in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on the University鈥檚 Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. The event is free and open to the public.
Fikes is a celebrated icon of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. As a founding member of the Freedom Singers, she began traveling with King during the Freedom Rights struggle, which is how she came to be known as 鈥渢he Voice of Selma.鈥 She was present in Selma during Bloody Sunday and witnessed the chasing down and beating of those who joined the march, including the future Congressman John Lewis.
Fikes has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, numerous jazz festivals, and the 1964 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.
Andrea Paredes Santacruz, M.Ed., director of Intercultural Student Engagement at UNE, said Fikes鈥 legacy serves as a testament of the progress made and a reminder of the work to come in ensuring equal rights for all.
鈥淚t's incredible to have a living legend of the Civil Rights Movement like Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes on our campus,鈥 Paredes Santacruz said. 鈥淲e have to remember that the movement is not a faraway time and that we still have work to do with and for our community. I hope our students, faculty, and professional staff feel inspired to create change in whatever way feels right for them for the causes that they most believe in.鈥
The annual MLK Jr. Celebration is held in honor of King鈥檚 historic 1964 visit to St. Francis College, UNE鈥檚 Biddeford Campus precursor, and to encourage discussion of racial equality in the 21st century. This year marks the 60th anniversary of King鈥檚 visit, which was his only such trip to Maine.
The celebration is coordinated by the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement with support from students, faculty, and professional staff.
Lunch will be provided at the event. Attendees are asked to to estimate a headcount for lunch.