Goodwin, Stowe Center to Commemorate 50 Years of King’s “Dream”

– It has been 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. let his ideas, dreams, and hopes of freedom ring. On Thursday, Feb. 21, Goodwin College and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center welcome the community to commemorate the monumental speech that brought attention to equality for all.  

Goodwin College, in partnership with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, will commemorate the 50^th anniversary of King’s speech as a tipping point moment in American history that continues to inspire generations. Connecticut Humanities is sponsoring the event, which will held in the Goodwin College Community Room, One Riverside Drive, East Hartford.

The event, the second in Goodwin and the Stowe Center’s “Inspiring Social Justice” series, begins at 2:30 p.m. It continues Goodwin College’s Black History Month celebration by inviting students and the general public to join in the discussion on historical events that changed the nation and gave rise to social justice and equality.

Half a century after Martin Luther King made his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the discussion about race, freedom, and social change continues. Dr. Booker DeVaughn will be the keynote speaker at the event and will lead a panel discussion on social transformation.

Dr. DeVaughn has served as President of Three Rivers Community College, President of Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, and interim President of Capital Community College in Hartford. Dr. DeVaughn has been and continues to be active in many organizations including a three-year term as President of the Board of Trustees of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT.

Katherine Kane, executive director of the Stowe Center, will take part in the panel. Several Goodwin faculty and staff members will join her, including Dr. Randy Laist, Dr. Gaylynn Moore-Collins, and Aaron Isaacs, the director of the MOVE and WISE programs.

MOVE and WISE are programs designed to provide mentoring and support services to demographics of students that have historically been underserved in higher education. Students from the respective programs will also participate in the panel on King’s speech.

Goodwin College is a nonprofit institution of higher learning located on the Connecticut River in East Hartford, Connecticut. The college specializes in extending educational access to underserved groups, including minority and first-generation college students, and offers career-focused degree programs designed to promote workforce readiness. For more information, please visit www.goodwin.edu.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, a museum, program center and research library, is located at 77 Forest Street in Hartford, CT.  The Stowe Center is open year round for tours and programs. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center uses Stowe’s story to inspire commitment to social justice and positive change.

Connecticut Humanities creates opportunities to think, learn and understand more about ourselves, our communities and our state. We believe this work is essential to a democratic society, to the well being of the people, and to the economic vitality of Connecticut. We bring together people of different viewpoints, ages and backgrounds to learn from and about each other, discuss issues of vital concern, explore new ideas and historical perspectives, and experience the cultural richness around them. We also serve as an advocate for, partner of, and grant-maker to Connecticut organizations that share our vision.