LEWISTON — The public is invited to celebrate the life of late civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in special events at Bates College, beginning Sunday afternoon with poetry, music and a worship service and extending through Martin Luther King Day.

Highlights include:

Sunday, Jan. 19

3-5 p.m., “The Truth Shall Set You Free,” poetry performance art, at the Commons.

7-8 p.m., the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial worship service, Bates Chapel, sermon given by award-winning poet and performance artist Carvens Lissaint titled “Break Every Chain (A Call for Freedom).” Also featured will be music by students, including the Bates Gospelaires.

Monday, Jan. 20

9-11 a.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Day speeches by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who will talk about his involvement in the 1963 March on Washington.. The keynote speaker will be author Gary Younge, a columnist for the British newspaper The Guardian. The title of Younge’s speech is “Reclaiming King’s Dream: Decoding the Myths and the Meaning of the Civil Rights Era.”

If this event is full, the service will be shown at Pettengill G52. The service will also be live-streamed at bates.edu/live.

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., MLK Day Book Club discussion with Younge about his book, “The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream,” at the Commons.

1-2:45 p.m., the Rev. Benjamin Elijah Mays Debate, at Olin Concert Hall, popular debate between Bates and Morehouse College will continue with this year’s topic: “This House Believes King’s Dream is Unattainable.”

7:30 p.m., evening program by Sankofa will explore the history and diverse array of experience of the African diaspora, how Africans retained traditions and identities in a new world following the slave trade. Evening programs will tell the story through dance, music, theater and word. The group’s annual King Day production has become a symbol of pride and accomplishment for Bates students of African diaspora. Admission is free, but tickets are required, Schaeffer Theatre, 786-6400.

Wednesday, Jan. 12

1:30-2:30 p.m., the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. read-in; faculty, staff and students share a book with Lewiston’s Martel Elementary School students at Martel.

For full listing go to: www.bates.edu/mlk/.

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