BOONE—The 26^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at Appalachian State University features noted writer and activist Nikki Giovanni in a 7 p.m. talk Jan. 28 in Farthing Auditorium. The program is sponsored by Appalachian’s Office of Multicultural Student Development. Admission is free.

A reception and book signing will precede Giovanni’s talk from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Farthing Auditorium lobby.

Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. A widely read American poet, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.”

A Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech, Giovanni is committed to the fight for civil rights and equality with a focus on the individual, specifically on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.

Appalachian Senior Programs and the university’s Sociology Club are sponsoring a food drive in conjunction with address. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items to the auditorium. All donations will be distributed among food banks for the five counties served by Appalachian Senior Programs (Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Watauga, Wilkes).

In addition to her Jan. 28 talk, Giovanni will give the keynote address at the Jan. 30 Celebrate, Educate, Appreciate, Diversity Conference 2010 on campus. Registration is $10 and begins at 11 a. m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom.  The opening luncheon session with Giovanni will begin at 11:30 a. m. and the breakout sessions will start at 1:10 p.m.

The conference will end at 5:30 p. m. Groups of seven or more may pay a group rate of $7 per person until Jan. 25 if registration forms and payment for the entire group are submitted at the same time.  In addition to lunch, the conference includes workshops and networking opportunities. All registrants will receive a conference gift.

Registration forms are online at http://multicultural.appstate.edu. Checks or money orders are required at time of registration and must be submitted to the Office of Multicultural Student Development. Cash, credit cards and debit cards cannot be accepted.  Registration will close Jan. 25.

For more information on this event, contact Appalachian’s Office of Multicultural Student Development at 828-262-6252.

Additional sponsors of activities during Giovanni’s campus visit are Center for Appalachian Studies, Women’s Studies Program, Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Cratis D. Williams Graduate School and the ASU Sociology Club.

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