“The Meeting” sparks dialogue about civil rights

On January 14, 2012, a panel discussion followed the matinee performance at the Black Box Theatre on South City Campus of “The Meeting,” a play about a fictitious meeting of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The panel, which included the actors and the director of the play as well as the Director of Faculty Teaching and Learning Center Millie Sparks and Professor Anthony Farley, addressed the civil rights movement and  the effect “The Meeting” had on them and.

“It [“The Meeting”] allowed me to look at the legacy of both men,” says Harold DeHorney, who played Malcolm X’s Bodyguard Rashad.

The panel agrees that the civil rights movement had limited success.

“The fear that we have of each other, black and white, hasn’t changed much,” says Sparks.

To change the situation, Sparks and DeHorney say that we have to know what is going on and engage with each other.

“We have to be involved,” says DeHorney.

Sparks says that we shouldn’t sugar coat the reality of the situation and that we shouldn’t avoid talking about difficult subjects.

“We need to own it and talk about it and do better,” says Sparks.

Salt Lake Community College will be holding events on January 17, 2012 and January 19, 2012 related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., Farley will be speaking in the Oak Room at the Student Center on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, and on Thursday there will be an Open Forum Session in the Student Event Center starting at 1:30 p.m.

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