Annual 'I Have a Dream' reenactment comes to West campus

A tradition at Arizona State University’s West campus that dates back to 1991 will continue at 11 a.m., Jan. 18, as Charles St. Clair reenacts Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech. The public is invited to attend this free event on the campus at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. Visitor parking on campus costs $2 per hour.

St. Clair, a faculty member in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, will deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech as part of the West campus’s annual March on West event. More than 800 local middle school students will gather at the campus’s Paley Gates to reenact the 1963 March on Washington, which provided the setting for King’s speech.

“It’s an honor to share this unforgettable speech with a group of young people,” St. Clair said. “You never know who will be inspired to do great things by hearing Dr. King’s powerful message of harmony among all people.”

Sixth- through eighth-graders from local elementary and middle schools will arrive on the West campus in the morning and participate in educational sessions focusing on the civil rights movement during the 1960s. They then will meet at the Paley Gates to reenact a civil rights march, ending at the Fletcher Library lawn in the center of campus, where St. Clair will deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech.

St. Clair, an Emmy Award-winning actor and director, has served as an ASU faculty member since 1990. He is the 2011 recipient of the Promoting Inclusiveness Award from the city of Glendale, Ariz. Active in the entertainment industry locally and nationally as a director and lighting designer for stage productions including “Race,” “A House with No Walls,” “August in April,” “The Colored Museum,” and “Topdog/Underdog,” St. Clair also has appeared in numerous films and television commercials. At the West campus, he teaches classes in acting, directing and technical production for the Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies in ASU’s New College.

For more information about the March on West event, call (602) 543-5300. Information about MLK events and activities on all ASU campuses may be found at http://asu.edu/mlk/.