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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -- The University of California, Riverside will host a candlelight vigil and a variety of activities on Wednesday, Jan.14, marking the birth of slain civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The event will feature a keynote address by Dr. Yolanda Moses, special assistant for Excellence and Diversity at UC Riverside, and a noted anthropologist who received her doctorate from UC Riverside. The celebration is free and open to the public.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the community to come together to honor the life of Dr. King, a man whose commitment to social justice raised the consciousness of America," said Chancellor France Córdova. "I'm pleased that UC Riverside is honoring his life and his legacy.”

The UCR African Student Programs Office is organizing the celebration titled, “Building Communities from Diversity: “Crossing Borders & Boundaries.” It will begin with a 6 p.m. candlelight vigil at the UCR bell tower, including a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and Amazing Grace,” by David Christensen on the campus' 48-bell carillon.

The celebration will continue at 6:30 p.m. inside the Watkins 1000 Recital Hall. Sponsors are African Student Programs, Associated Students Program Board, the Department of Ethnic Studies, African Americans United in Science, African Student Alliance, the National Society of Black Engineers, PATH and AAH. More information can be obtained by calling African Student Programs at (909) 787-4576.

Dr. Moses served three years as president of the American Association for Higher Education, and before that, was president of The City College of New York/CUNY from 1993 to 1999. She arrived at UC Riverside this past August, where she is working to encourage the hiring and retention of a more diverse faculty and a more representative graduate student body. Her writing, research and lecturing in this area have taken her to New Zealand, Japan, India, Eastern Europe and South Africa.

Maps and directions to the event are available at UCR information kiosks at the University Avenue and the Canyon Crest Drive campus entrances, or on the campus web site www.ucr.edu. Visitor parking in Lot 6 costs $3.50 per vehicle.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 20,500 students. The campus will open a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.