Official Editor of Martin Luther King Papers to Speak at Baylor International Conference

by Devany Severin, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

Dr. Clayborne Carson, a professor of history and founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, will present a lecture titled, "Martin Luther King--A Legacy for the 21st Century" at 3:30 pm. on Thursday, Nov. 1, in room 131 of the Marrs McLean Science Building on Baylor's campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Carson's lecture is a part of "Honoring Heschel: Celebrating the Life and Spirituality of Abraham Joshua Heschel on the Centenary of his Birth," an international conference sponsored by Baylor's Center for Jewish Studies that is taking place on Nov. 1-3.

"The lecture is a very important event at Baylor where you have Jews, African-Americans and Christians coming together to discuss the legacy of a renowned Jewish philosopher and theologian, and to search out the meaning of his work for today's world," said Dr. Marc Ellis, director of the Center for Jewish Studies and University Professor of Jewish Studies.

Carson serves as the official editor of the Kings Papers Project, a component of the Institute at Stanford that has produced five volumes of a projected 14 volume comprehensive edition of King's speeches, sermons, correspondence, publications and unpublished writings.

Carson received a bachelor's degree and a Ph.D. from UCLA. Now a professor at Stanford, his research focuses on Martin Luther King Jr. and the movements King inspired. Dr. Carson has lectured throughout the United States and around the world on topics including King, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Malcolm X, the Black Panther Party, black-Jewish relations and affirmative action.

Serving as one of the keynote speakers at the conference, Carson will deliver his first presentation titled "Prophetic Voices: How One Person Can Make a Difference - The Legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel," which will be a discussion with Professor Susannah Heschel, daughter of Rabbi Heschel and The Eli Black Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth University, during a closed lunch at noon Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Piper Great Hall of George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

During the conference there will be sessions open to the public and those interested in attending closed presentations can contact the Center for Jewish Studies for more information.