Emory University's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement begins next week. This year's keynote address by Nikole Hannah-Jones will be on Tuesday, January 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the Jones Room (Woodruff Library). Additionally, the Rose Library will be hosting pop-up exhibits featuring archival materials from the University's collections during select events.

For the full King Week Schedule, please cick the button below.  

Sunday, January 26, 11:00 a.m., Cannon Chapel

Our King Week 2020 Beloved Community Worship Service welcomes back The Rev. Kim Jackson, a 2009 graduate of Candler School of Theology, who was recently named to Emory’s 40 Under Forty list honoring accomplished young professionals. She is the first Black, LGBTQ+ priest ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, and has served as chaplain at the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center. She now serves as interim vicar at the Church of the Common Ground, which co-creates church with unhoused people in downtown Atlanta. She is also running for Georgia State Senate.

The Voices of Inner Strength Gospel Choir will sing at the service. All are welcome, and a catered lunch will be served following in Brooks Commons. Please see the full list of Emory King Week programming at: www.emory.edu/MLK.

This year the Muslim holy month of Ramandan will be observed from April 23-May 23, 2020. During Ramadan, observing Muslims fast from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset. The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life encourages the Emory community to be aware of students, faculty, staff, and other community members who will be observing Ramandan. This year, Ramandan will overlap with the last days of classes, with final exams, and commencement day.

Students are asked to notify their faculty members if they will need academic accommodation for religious observance, and faculty are asked to develop reasonable accommodations for students to observe. If support is needed, students and faculty may contact their academic deans or the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (OSRL). In addition, the Emory community will be celebrating Ramadan by hosting Iftar Prayers and Dinners each night from April 23 until commencement. More information will be available on a Ramadan page on the OSRL website at www.religiouslife.emory.edu soon.

With any questions, please contact Emory University Muslim Religious Life Scholar Dr. Isam Vaid at isam.vaid@emory.edu.

Riyaaz Qawwali performs the gripping music style called qawwali, or sufi music. They represent the diversity and plurality of music in South Asia. The ensemble’s musicians, who are settled in the United States, come from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and represent multiple religious and spiritual backgrounds. Trained in eastern and western classical music, the members have been professionally performing qawwali for the past twelve years. With conservative growth and heightened attention to quality, Riyaaz Qawwali has performed across the continental U.S., in Panama, and debuted in Europe in 2017.

Riyaaz Qawwali’s mission is to expose qawwali to new audiences, while still paying homage to traditional qawwali that has been in existence for 700+ years. The ensemble wants to expand the reach of the genre to new stages and people of other faiths and traditions. The founding members of Riyaaz Qawwali chose the qawwali genre of music because it incorporates unique musical elements in its repertoire that are not found in any other form of South Asian music. Riyaaz Qawwali combines this with poetry from famous South Asian poets of multiple linguistic and religious backgrounds to create a message of oneness. Riyaaz Qawwali also uses numerous languages to represent the linguistic and cultural diversity that exists in South Asia. These languages include Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Gujarati, and Hindi.

For more information please visit: http://riyaazqawwali.com or email lisa.garvin@emory.edu.

Shmooze n' Schmear
Thursady, January 16, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Emory Hillel

Guided Mediation and Discussion - Emory Buddhist Club
Thursday, January 16, 6:00 p.m., Brooks Commons, Cannon Chapel

Join us for an informal meditation and discussion this Thursday, January 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Cannon Chapel. The Emory Buddhist Club is a student-led effort. Our primary mission is to provide a free, weekly, on-campus opportunity for anyone with any interest in Buddhism or meditation to meet, practice, and learn with qualified Buddhist teachers from the Atlanta area. Our meetings are always free and open to the public. We welcome anyone, regardless of meditation experience or point of view. For more information, please click here. 

January “First Friday” Dinner
Friday, January 17, 7:00 p.m., Commons, Cannon Chapel

Come out and join Emory Graduate Christian Fellowship for their first dinner of the new semester. Enjoy some good food, great conversation, a breif message to encourage you in following Jesus, and information about the upcoming events and small groups.