Monday
Cornel West MLK event keynote speaker
Cornel West will be the keynote speaker at the convocation service during Valparaiso University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 2 p.m. Monday in the Chapel of the Resurrection, 1650 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso. A lecturer and activist, West is professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary and professor emeritus at Princeton University. He also has taught at Yale, Harvard and the University of Paris. West graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in three years and obtained his master of arts and Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton University. His most recent book, “Black Prophetic Fire,” focuses on 19th- and 20th-century African-American leaders and their visionary legacies. More information is at valpo.edu/mlk.
PNW activities to honor King
Purdue University Northwest will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of activities throughout January at the Hammond and Westville campuses. The theme for the observance is “Valuing Our Shared Humanity.” All events are free and open to the public. A celebration breakfast will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Monday in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex Great Hall, 1401 South U.S. Highway 421, Westville. Keynote speaker will be Garrard McClendon, assistant professor and researcher at Chicago State University. The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority invites guests to bring new or gently used hats, gloves, socks, scarves, coats and other seasonal wraps for donation to local families in need. Children’s activities for ages 3 to 8 will be led by PNW students of Teacher’s Networking Together from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., with books, crafts and dramatic play focusing on the life of King. An exhibit of “The Civil Rights Movement through Art,” will be on display from Jan. 17-31 featuring pieces from the collection of Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the Ebony Museum of Chicago, now the DuSable Museum of African American History. The collection will be displayed on the Hammond campus in the Student Union and Library, 2233 173rd St., and on the Westville campus in the Library-Student-Faculty building, 1401 S. U.S. 421. More information is with Laura S. Odom at 219-785-5545 or odoml@pnw.edu, or Roy L. Hamilton at 219-989-2779 or roy.hamilton@pnw.edu.
Valpo events to honor MLK
Valparaiso University will continue its tradition of honoring the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. throught Jan. 19 with its 27th annual celebration centering on the theme “Conscious Humanity: What is Justice?” The Law School’s annual “Talk to a Lawyer” event, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 16, Wesemann Hall, 656 S. Greenwich St. Mock Trial: “Dress Code or Islamaphobia,” 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wesemann Hall, 656 S. Greenwich St. More information and registration for events is at valpo.edu/mlk.
Library closed for MLK Day
The East Chicago Public Library system will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The closing applies to the Main Library, 2401 Columbus Drive, and the Pastrick Branch Library, 1008 W. Chicago Ave., as well as the library’s community centers: King, Owens, Penn, Marktown, Clemente and Heritage Hall. Regular library hours will resume Tuesday.
Tuesday
Ham radio licensing class offered
W9LJ-Lake County Amateur Radio Club will sponsor a free ham radio license class from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Feb. 7 at Lake County Public Library, 1919 W. 81st Ave., Merrillville. Morse Code test is not required for the class. More information is with Tim McGillen at 219-769-0673 or tim2020@sbcglobal.net.
Thursday
Porter Regional Hospital to offer childbirth classes
Porter Regional Hospital has announced several upcoming childbirth preparation classes. Baby Basics, for parents, grandparents and child-care providers, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday will focus on bathing, diapering, signs of illness and newborn behaviors. The class is free. Registration is at 800-541-1861. Fast-Track Childbirth Education, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 21 is an expedited version of the Childbirth Education class to learn all aspects of pregnancy and birth. The cost is $65 per couple. Registration is at 800-541-1861. New Beginnings Tours is a 30-minute tour of the labor, delivery, postpartum and nursery areas at Porter Regional Hospital. Tours will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 24 and 31. Tours are free. Registration is at 219-983-8343. eLearning Online Childbirth Education is an online version of the Childbirth Education class for those who cannot attend a conventional class. An interactive Web-based program, expectant parents should register during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy at 219-983-8692. The cost is $75. All classes will be held in the Women and Children Pavilion classroom at Porter Regional Hospital, 85 East Highway 6, Valparaiso.
Friday
Gardening show photo contest
Entries are being accepted for the 2017 Porter County Master Gardeners Association Gardening Show Photography Contest. Submissions will be displayed at the 14th Annual Gardening Show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Porter County EXPO Center, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso. Photos will be judged on composition, use of color and aesthetic value; limit three photographs per person. Entries can be mailed to Purdue University Cooperative Extension, Suite 301, 155 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383, or delivered on weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Deadline is Jan. 20. More information is at www.pcgarden.info/photo.
Saturday
Project Learning Tree workshop
Educators, naturalists, scout leaders and other youth leaders are invited to learn new environmental activities for the classroom during a Project Learning Tree Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 100 N. Lake St., Gary. Designed for educators of students pre-K through 8th grade, the workshop will offer hands-on, interdisciplinary activities that can be used to teach students about the environment. The cost is $35, and a lunch will be served. Indiana teachers can receive Professional Growth Points and Illinois teachers can earn CPDUs for attending the workshop. Graduate credit also is available for an additional fee. Registration is required by Friday. More information and registration are at https://duneslearningcenter.org/adults/ or 219-395-9555.
Hospital to offer programs, screenings
Community Hospital is offering free health screenings, classes and programs. Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) screenings will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Crossroads Community Church, 1538 Janice Drive, Schererville. PVD is the progressive narrowing of the arteries feeding the lower extremities and can lead to leg pain and severe circulation problems. A Sibling Class to prepare children ages 3 to 10 and their parents for a new addition to the family will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at 800 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 30, Munster. Teen Childbirth Preparation class for expectant mothers between the ages of 13 and 19 from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at 800 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 30, Munster, will discuss labor, deliver, nutrition, pain relief, recovery and resources for support. Infant Massage and Baby’s Development for mothers and their babies will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Jan. 25 at Community Hospital, 901 MacArthur Blvd., Munster. The class will be held during TLC: The Lactation Clinic. Drop-ins are welcome any time between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. for a lactation consultation or baby weight check without an appointment. Non-Opioid Management of Chronic Pain will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe, 9950 Calumet Ave., Munster. All screenings and programs are free, but registration is required at 219-836-3477 or 866-836-3477.
Jan. 24
Peace Jam Workshop scheduled at PNW
A Peace Jam Workshop and Competition, Using Hip Hop to Unite, is scheduled for Jan. 24 as part of the PNW Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The workshop will begin at 1 p.m. on the Westville campus in the Dworkin Student Activities Complex Room 1115, 1401 South U.S. Highway 421, and at 6 p.m. on the Hammond campus in Alumni Hall on the third floor of the Student Union and Library, 2233 173rd St. Participants will compete for a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Jan. 26 on the Hammond campus. More information is with Laura S. Odom at 219-785-5545 or Roy L. Hamilton at 219-989-2779.
Jan. 26
PNW to host MLK convocation
Purdue University Northwest will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Student Union and Library’s Alumni Hall, 2233 173rd St., Hammond. The theme, “A New Perspective of Dr. King’s ‘Birth of a New Nation’ Address: Ensuring that Human Rights are Respected,” will focus on the sermon King delivered April 7, 1957, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. The keynote speaker will be K-C Nat Turner, associate professor of language, literacy and culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
— Staff report
