OCC Orchard Ridge Hosts Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation Jan. 30

Oakland Community College’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion presents the Ninth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation, Jan. 30 at OCC’s Orchard Ridge Campus in Farmington Hills.

The event begins at 6:30 pm in the Smith Theatre, with a performance by the Detroit Children’s Choir. Admission to the event is free and the public is invited. 

This year’s featured speaker is Aaron P. Dworkin, a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, former member of the National Arts Policy Committee and President Barack Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts. Dworkin is the founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, a leading national arts enterprise that focuses on youth development and diversity in classical music. 

Dworkin’s memoir, titled Uncommon Rhythm: A Black, White, Jewish, Jehovah’s Witness, Irish Catholic Adoptee’s Journey to Leadership was recently released through the Aquarius Press. He has also authored an autographical poetry collection, They Said I Wasn’t Really Black, as well as a children’s book, The 1st Adventure of Chilli Pepperz. He has produced and recorded two CDs, “Ebony Rhythms” and “Bar-Talk,” and directed the independent film “Deliberation.”

A lifelong musician, Dworkin received his bachelor and master of music degrees, with high honors, from the University of Michigan School of Music.

Source: Oakland Community College press release