Student Organizations
D.R.E.A.M Committee



SPONSORS: McDermott, Will & Emery
Perkins Coie
D.R.E.A.M. is the acronym for Day to Recognize the Efforts and Achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Committee coordinates lectures and programs on the nationally observed birthday of Dr. King to educate the Chicago Campus community on the teachings and contributions of Dr. King.

“Sooner or later, all the peoples of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.” 10 December 1964, Acceptance speech for Nobel Peace Prize

DREAM Committee MLK Day Commemoration 2009

MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2009
RUBLOFF 150
NOON – 1:15 P.M.

“Race, Gender & Politics – Media Portrayals in the 2008 Presidential Election” - The first panel will discuss how coverage of this year’s election changed with the inclusion of viable female and African-American candidates, and what impact the election of Barack Obama will have on portrayals of African-Americans and other people of color in the media:

  • Kimbriell Kelly – Senior Editor, The Chicago Reporter
  • Dave Mendell – Political Reporter for the Chicago Tribune and author of Obama, From Promise to Power
  • Craig Dellimore – Political Reporter, WBBM Newsradio 780

  • Moderator: Mary Mitchell, Columnist, Chicago Sun Times


TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2009
RUBLOFF 150
NOON – 1:15 P.M.

““Realizing the Dream of Health and Healthcare Equality"– First annual DREAM Award Recipient, Steve Whitman, PhD, Director of the Sinai Urban Health Institute, will co-present a lecture with Dorothy Roberts, Esq., involving his ground-breaking work on addressing health disparities, in particular the relationship of racism and poverty to health and well-being.

  • Dorothy Roberts, Esq. – Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law, Northwestern Law


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
RUBLOFF 150:
NOON – 1:15 P.M.

“. . . and Justice for All” Why are there certain groups for which equality is still very actively discouraged? What biases and stereotypes are still pervasive and ubiquitous in America? This panel will discuss Proposition 8’s passage in CA and equal rights for LGBT populations (including gender identity and expression), anti-Muslim and anti-Arab trends in the US and the “Muslim=Terrorist” mentality, and what forces lead many to not acknowledge biases in certain areas.:

  • Kristen Stilt, Esq. – Associate Professor of Law, Islamic Law, Northwestern Law
  • Camilla Taylor, Esq., – Senior Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal Defense Fund; Adjunct Professor, Northwestern Law, Sexual Orientation and the Law
  • Andy Koppelman, Esq., – John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Northwestern Law
  • Ann Kalayil, PhD – past president, Indo-American Democratic Organization (IADO) and founder, South Asian American Policy and Research Institute

  • Moderator: Lauren Jiggetts, Reporter, NBC Channel 5 Chicago


THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2009
RUBLOFF 150
NOON – 1:15 P.M.

“Do We Still Need Affirmative Action” – We have just elected the nation’s first African-American president, other people of color occupy very high posts in politics, business, medicine and other arenas. So have we progressed enough to no longer need affirmative action and other initiatives to promote diversity in education and business, or do we still have a long way to go? This panel will provide a point and counterpoint in the argument of whether affirmative action is still needed contemporarily.

  • Stephen Presser, Esq. - Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History, Northwestern Law
  • T. Shawn Taylor – Writer and media consultant, former workplace/labor reporter, Chicago Tribune
  • Arin Reeves, JD/PhD – Diversity Consultant and President, The Athens Group
  • Franita Tolson, Esq. – Visiting Assistant Professor, Northwestern Law, Race and the Law

  • Moderator: Derrick Blakely, Anchor, CBS 2 Chicago

THURSDAY EVENING:, JANUARY 12, 2009
6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Film discussion: Taxi to the Dark Side – Owning up to torture in America (Baldwin Auditorium, Lurie Medical Building, 303 E. Superior)

  • Introduction by Professor Joe Margulies, followed by showing of the HBO film


MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2009 – MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OBSERVED
THORNE AUDITORIUM (375 E. CHICAGO)
NOON – 1:30 P.M.


KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Welcome: Deans of Northwestern Law and Feinberg School of Medicine
Performance by G3, Chicago youth gospel choir
Presentation of first annual DREAM Award Recipient– Dr. Steve Whitman
Presentation by Global Girls, Youth Performing Arts Group
Recitation of excerpts of “I See the Promised Land” - Urban Prep Academy Debate Team
Speaker: Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race by a Privileged Son – Beyond "Diversity": Challenging Racism in an Age of Backlash

Reception to follow immediately after



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