Danny Glover to present Keeper of the Dream keynote address

Danny Glover will address the OU community and guests as keynote speaker for the 17th annual Keeper of the Dream awards celebration on Monday, Jan. 19.

By Susan Thwing-McHale, staff writer

One day before the United States inaugurates its first African-American president, actor, producer and human rights activist Danny Glover will address the OU community and guests as keynote speaker for the 17th annual Keeper of the Dream awards celebration. Glover’s talk on Monday, Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will follow the presentation of four scholarships to OU students.

“The Keeper of the Dream award was established in 1993 to recognize students who have demonstrated strong citizenship, scholarship and leadership in breaking down cultural stereotypes and promoting interracial understanding – keeping the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. alive and moving forward,” said Omar Brown-El, director of OU’s Center for Multicultural Initiatives, which hosts the event. “We are very excited to welcome Danny Glover on this significant, milestone occasion as we honor our recipients of the 2009 awards.”

Sponsors of the scholarships include William Beaumont Hospitals, Ford Motor Company, the Oakland University Alumni Association and the Keeper of the Dream Foundation. To be considered, students submitted an application which included a resume highlighting involvement and leadership and a 500-word essay describing how the student made a positive impact to improve interracial understanding at OU. Recipients all hold a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0, demonstrate campus involvement, and have a record of responsible citizenship.

A noted actor on the stage and screen for more than 25 years, Glover is known for such blockbuster hits as the “Lethal Weapon” series and for such critically-acclaimed films as “Dreamgirls” and “The Color Purple.” While pursuing his acting and producing career, Glover also has established a respected reputation for his wide-reaching community activism, particularly his emphasis on advocacy for economic justices and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa.

The Keeper of the Dream presentation will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms on the Oakland campus. Guests will be invited to a light reception following the event in the Oakland Center food court.

Additional events are planned that will kick off Oakland’s African American Celebration 2009. These include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service from 1-5 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge in Oakland Center, hosted by the Center for Student Activities (CAS). The CAS will also present OU Celebrates Change, The 2009 Presidential Inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the food court.

For more information on the Keeper of the Dream presentation, visit www.oakland.edu/kod. For more information on the African American Celebration 2009, visit www.oakland.edu/aacm.