ANN ARBOR—The keynote speaker for the University’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. knows that she has a special challenge for her Jan. 20 address.

Not only must she incorporate the ideas of King, but also of Mahatma Gandhi. The theme for the 16th annual symposium honoring King is a quote from Gandhi: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” In preparation for her speech, civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs has thought about those words and has read Gandhi’s writings.

“Even though the theme is we must be what we want to see in the world, we have to think about what it is we want to be before we can be it,” Boggs said. “We have the power to define who we are. We have the ability to make choices.” Boggs will speak at 10 a.m. Jan. 20 in the Rackham Auditorium, on the busiest day during a month of activities honoring King. Another prominent speaker during the symposium is bell hooks, a cultural critic, author and feminist theorist. Her talk will be at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Ballroom of the Michigan Union, in an event co-sponsored by Information Technology Central Services, the Law Library, the School of Information, University Housing, the University Library and the MLK Symposium Planning Committee.

A book signing will follow the speech. The Rev. Peter J. Gomes of the Memorial Church at Harvard University will deliver the U-M Business School’s lecture at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at Hale Auditorium in Assembly Hall. Gomes, whose lecture is titled “The Value of Values,” is an American Baptist minister and is also author of such best-selling books as “The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart,” and “Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living.” Other highlights include:

• The opening speech, 8 p.m. Jan. 13 in the Michigan Union Ballroom, by Ronald Takaki, considered by many as the founder of modern multicultural studies, sponsored by the MLK Symposium Planning Committee;
• The MLK Student Concert: The Black Bottom Collective at 8 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Ballroom of the Michigan League, sponsored by the MLK Symposium Planning Committee. Tickets are $5;
• Annual MLK Day Children’s Program, 8:30 a.m.—2 p.m. Jan. 20 on the first floor of the Modern Languages Building, sponsored by the School of Education and the School of Social Work;
• “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World,” by Dr. Alvin F. Poussiant, at noon Jan. 20 in the Dow Auditorium of the Towsley Medical Center, sponsored by the Health Sciences Program, School of Social Work, School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, Medical School, School of Public Health, College of Pharmacy and the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers;
• “Clinging to the Truth in the 21st Century: What the Legacies of King and Gandhi Offer,” a lecture by Rajmohan Gandhi, at 4 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Schorling Auditorium of the School of Education, sponsored by The Center for South Asian Studies in the South Asia Current Affairs series and the International Institute;
• “On Being Human,” a lecture by Robert Rodriguez and Patrisia Gonzales, at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Ballroom of the Michigan Union, sponsored by the MLK Symposium Planning Committee, the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and the Latino Task Force;
• “Cowboy Bush and Indians: Frontier Mentality and Mother Earth,” a lecture by Tom Goldtooth, 6 p.m. Jan. 29 in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union, sponsored by the MLK Symposium Planning Committee, the School of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Native American Student Association. For a comprehensive list, see the MLK Symposium calendar at www.mlksymposium.org/mlksymposium/events/default.asp