LEWISTON – When it honors Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, Bates College won’t focus on the man and his words. It won’t dedicate the day to African-American history and civil rights in America.

It won’t concentrate on this country at all.

Instead, Bates will devote its celebration to Haiti, which marks the bicentennial of its revolution this year.

“In history, it has influenced continuing freedom struggles,” said James Reese, associate dean of students and a member of the college’s Martin Luther King Day committee. “It was a jumping-off point for freedom struggles in this country.”

Bates College will begin its Martin Luther King Day observance four days before the holiday with a talk by social scientist Georges Fouron, who will discuss the Haitian Revolution’s influence on other revolutionary movements. That talk will begin at 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 and will be held in the college’s Pettengill Hall.

On Jan. 18, the college will hold a memorial service at 7 p.m. in the Bates Chapel. The Rev. James Foster Reese Sr. will deliver the sermon, “King: The Principal and the Principles.” It will be followed by musical performances by sophomore Subira Gordon and the Deansmen, a Bates a cappella group.

On Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day will begin with a debate on U.S. immigration policy among students from Bates, Morehouse and Spelman colleges. That match will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held in Chase Hall Lounge.

Later in the day, keynote speaker Alex Dupuy, a widely published sociologist and a professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, will discuss the links between the historic Haitian revolution and more recent race and relations issues. That address will begin at 10:45 a.m. and will be held in the Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building.

In the afternoon, the college will host a series of workshops and panel discussions on Haiti, human rights and race. The workshops will be held throughout the afternoon in Pettengill Hall.

The celebration will end with a 7 p.m. performance by Henry Butler, a New Orleans-based pianist and singer. The performance will be held in the Olin Arts Concert Hall.

All Bates events will be free and open to the public.

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