Maryland educator to deliver keynote speech at King dinner

Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and an advocate for educational success in science and technology for black people and others, will present the keynote address at Southeast Missouri State University's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Jan. 17 in the Show Me Center.

The theme of this year's dinner is "MLK50: Where do we go from here?"

A child leader in the civil-rights movement, Hrabowski prominently was featured in Spike Lee's 1997 documentary, "Four Little Girls," according to a news release from Southeast Missouri State University.

The documentary focused on the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Hrabowski has written articles and co-authored two books, "Beating the Odds" and "Overcoming the Odds." His most recent book, "Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement," describes the events and experiences that played a central role in his development as an educator and leader.

In 2012, he was named one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" and received the Heinz Award for his contributions to improving the human condition, Southeast officials said.

He has been awarded honors and accolades, including election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Philosophical Society; the prestigious McGraw Prize in Education; and the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. He also holds honorary degrees from more than 20 institutions.

Dinner tickets are $20 each or $160 for a table of eight. They go on sale Friday at the Southeast Missouri State University Bookstore, officials said in the release.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. Jan. 17, with the dinner scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. One hundred free dinner tickets are available to students at the Center for Student Involvement on the second floor of the University Center. Additional student tickets are $5 each.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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