MLK Day Celebrated

The legacy and contributions of civil rights leader Martin Luther King were celebrated by the University of Redlands community on January 21.

To kick off the event, a group of faculty, staff and students marched from the steps of the Administration Building to the Memorial Chapel. During the march, a number of songs commonly used during civil rights marches were sung, including "Kumbaya" and "We Shall Overcome."

An hour-long program was held at the chapel, featuring a variety of speeches and musical performances. Keynote speaker Julius Bailey discussed the hardships his father endured as a black man living in Arkansas during the height of racial tensions in the area.

Bailey said his father remembered one occasion where a water fountain designated for whites only was cordoned off for quarantine after a black person dared to drink from it.

"My father dealt with some very difficult experiences and those experiences profoundly shaped his world view," said Bailey, professor of race, ethnic and religious studies. "For a long time, I really did not understand the things that he went through during his time in the South. It was not something he talked about."

Bailey said that he was thankful for advantages he enjoys because of the contributions of Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders.

"In many ways, those struggles seem very distant to me now," Bailey said. "I am confident that I will enjoy certain rights. For example, I know that I will not have to wonder whether I will have the right to vote. That right is very secure. I also know that if I get on a bus, I don't have to worry about which seat is for me. These are things I've never worried about."

Chaplain John Walsh said that everyone should strive to emulate King's commitment to social change in a compassionate, peaceful way.

"One of the most important lessons we can learn is to love, to be people of peace, to be people who care and to take action on things that we believe," Walsh said. "Because of Dr. King and others like him, we have overcome a great deal. But there is still a great deal in this world left to be overcome."

New Chef Gets Cooking

Bon Appétit's new head chef, Doug Stevens, is excited by the opportunity his new post gives him to experiment and draw on his 30 years of experience.

"We do so much of everything here," Stevens said. "I have a very diverse staff to work with and many different backgrounds and experiences to draw from. I really like the atmosphere."

Stevens' favorite foods to prepare include seafood, salads and dishes with "vibrant colors," but he enjoys making just about everything (except snails, that is). Stevens' preferences and personality will add to the atmosphere of the Irvine Commons. He is developing new ideas to improve the commons, including the use of more local, organic produce, additional macrobiotic foods for vegans and vegetarians and a compost program for waste.

While Stevens enjoys the new freedom he has to experiment, he says commons customers have the most influence - particularly when they use the commons' comment cards to express themselves.

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