Michael K. Honey, professor of Labor and Ethnic Studies and American History at the University of Washington in Tacoma, Wash., speaks today at the Panhellenic Building at 2 p.m.
Jonathan Judaken, associate professor of history and director of the Marcus Orr Center for the Humanities at The University of Memphis (MOCH), organized Honey's visit to The University.
"We're trying to do each of these things like community conversations," Judaken said. Judaken said he hopes the legacy of Martin Luther King's life and the civil rights movement become part of people's discussions. He also said he hopes the community and students will learn these struggles as they pertain to our lives today.
Honey has no relation to the King family, but he travels speaking of Dr. King's legacy and the famous sanitation worker's strike. Honey has written a number of books including, "Black Workers Remember: An Oral History of Segregation" and "Unionism." He has received several awards and recognition for his work.
Judaken said this is only the beginning of a series of events planned throughout the spring semester. Each month, MOCH plans to introduce the community and students to a different speaker to aid in their goal of educating the community, including a visit from Angela Davis on April 2.
Participants in Memphis Reads, The University of Memphis' reading program, will have the opportunity to ask speakers questions an hour before lectures.
Judaken said there will be a book signing after the lecture of Honey's most recent work, "Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign."
