LEWISTON — Two generations of prominent social activists — one of them described by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “the greatest teacher of nonviolence in America” — will offer keynote addresses during Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances at Bates College on Monday, Jan. 17.

The college’s theme for its 2011 King Day programming is “Get Up, Stand Up: The Fierce Urgency of Now.” The speakers are the Rev. James Lawson, a definitive figure in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, and Asher Kolieboi, co-director of an organization that works against campus violence toward members of the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community.

All MLK Day events at Bates are open to the public at no cost. For more information, call 207-786-6400.

“Our theme sets the title of a famous Bob Marley reggae song alongside a key phrase from Dr. King’s speech during the 1963 March on Washington,” MLK Committee Co-chairman Dale Chapman, assistant professor of music, explained.

“We hope to emphasize how the urgency of our current local, national and global problems can be met only with an equally urgent call for debate and dialogue.”

Lawson speaks twice at Bates. He offers the sermon for the college’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Memorial Service of Worship at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, in the Bates College Chapel, 275 College St. To learn more about this service, call 207-786-8272.

At 9:30 a.m. the following day, Lawson will present the first keynote address of the college’s MLK Day events in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, 75 Russell St. His topic: the continued importance of direct action and social justice in the 21st century.

Kolieboi will provide the second Jan. 17 keynote at 2:30 p.m., also in the Olin concert hall. He’ll discuss challenges for social activists in contemporary American culture. Following each address, breakout sessions will afford an opportunity to discuss the speakers’ ideas and to consider future activism. These sessions, and a plenary session featuring Lawson and Kolieboi at 4:30 p.m., take place in Pettengill Hall, 4 Andrews Road (Alumni Walk).

The day also includes a student debate at 1 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. performance by students.

In other events related to the holiday, acclaimed actress Vinie Burrows performs at Bates on Jan. 18 and 20. To learn more, please visit the college website at www.bates.edu.

Finally, on a date to be determined, volunteers from the college and the community will share books with students in grades four through six at Lewiston’s Martel School. To take part in the annual MLK Day Read-in, please contact Ryan Katon at [email protected].