Friday, January 6
First Friday on Housing and Economic Development
School of Social Service Administration, 1–3 p.m. Register online.
50 years after Martin Luther King came to Chicago to campaign against housing discrimination, the city remains one of the country’s most segregated. At this event, a panel consisting of an academic, the head of a nonprofit home loan provider, and a regional planner will consider the problem. Food will be provided.
Memorial Service for Charles Bidwell
Bond Chapel, 3:30–5:30 p.m. RSVP to Gillian Griffin.
A memorial service will honor Charles E. Bidwell, a renowned sociologist who served as chair of the Departments of Education and Sociology. There will be a reception following the memorial in Common Room of Swift Hall.
Saturday, January 7
Reynolds Club, 8–11 p.m., free.
UChicago Inter-House Council will host a pajama party to celebrate College Housing, interact with peers from different houses, and eat breakfast foods. The event will include a series of games including video games, roommate quizzes, and board games. Attendees are encouraged to wear pajamas.
FXK Theater, Reynolds Club, 8–9:30 p.m., $4 general admission.
In a period of 24 hours, participants will write and perform a series of six plays for a one-time-only showcase.
Promise of Peace Community Forum
Logan Center, 2–3:30 p.m., free.
South Side reporter for WBEZ Natalie Moore will host a panel that will discuss the influence of violence on communities within Chicago and find creative ways to tackle it. The panel speakers will include artists, leaders, and members of the community. The event will feature a performance by Rebirth Poetry Ensemble.
McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lakeshore Drive, Time TBA, free.
President Obama will give a farewell speech Tuesday at McCormick Place. Tickets for this event will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. One free ticket per person will be available.
Sunday, January 8
Emancipation Proclamation Pageant
First Unitarian Church, 5650 S. Woodlawn Ave, 11:45–1:15 p.m., free.
The Emancipation Proclamation Pageant will celebrate its 154th anniversary in an event hosted by the Racial Justice Task Force. The Pageant will also celebrate the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments.
Monday, January 9
Seminary Co-op Bookstore, 6–7 p.m., free.
Kenneth Seeskin will be discussing his new book, *Thinking about the Torah: A Philosopher Reads the Bible*, which discusses 10 core biblical verses in depth. David J. Cohen will join him in conversation.
Violence, Racism and Urban America
University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration Lobby, 969 E. 60th St., 4:30–6 p.m., free.
The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration’s Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention and Chicago Urban will screen the short documentaries “A Thousand Midnights" and "We All We Got" from Carlos Ortiz and Tina Sacks (AM ’98, Ph.D. ’13). After the screening, there will be a Q&A session and a discussion of violence, racism, and urban communities.
Rockefeller Chapel, 6 p.m., free.
The University of Chicago will gather in Rockefeller Chapel to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and reflect on equality in the future. The keynote address will be given by Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the Chicago Children’s Choir will perform.
Room 105, Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, 2:30 p.m., free.
Political scientist and doctoral student Jenn Jackson will moderate a panel called “Community Engaged Scholars: Balancing Scholarship and Activism.” Panelists include Eve Ewing, Anton Ford, and Larissa Brewer-García.