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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The spring 2018 offerings in the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society lecture series will kick off Thursday, Jan. 25, with a panel presentation revolving around the Kalamazoo community's annual celebration of the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Where Do You Stand in Times of Trouble?" is the title of this free, public event set for 7 p.m. in 157 Bernhard Center. The panel moderator will be Dale Brown, a master's Â鶹´«Ã½ in WMU's Department of Philosophy. Panelists include:

• Andy Marquis of WMU's Prison Education Program.
• Demetrias Wolverton, mission impact manager for the Kalamazoo YWCA.
• Dr. Linwood Cousins, WMU professor of social work and director of African American and African studies.

The panel is expected to argue that in troubled times, mere interpretation of the world must give way to sustained activity to change the world. The panel's aim is to elevate activity over theory by calling attention to efforts within southwest Michigan communities to alleviate systemic harms and reform unjust systems. The discussion is co-sponsored by the WMU Department of Philosophy.

Upcoming events in the spring series include the following presentations on these days and times. All are free and open to the public, and the presentations on Feb. 8, March 22 and April 12 are part of the Center for Humanities spring series, "Promise of Education."

Other series events

• Thursday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.: "The Humanities in the Age of Demagoguery," David Denby, staff writer and former film critic for The New Yorker, 3508 Knauss Hall.
• Wednesday, Feb.  28, 4 p.m.: "Legal Ethics in the Media," with panelists Norman Hawker of WMU, and Tonya Krause-Phelan and Victoria Viletich of WMU Cooley Law School, Bernhard Center Brown and Gold Room.
• Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m.: "Education Reform and the Promise of Public Education," Dr. Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University, Dalton Center Recital Hall.
• Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m.: "Why We Don't Have a Peace Memorial: The Vietnam War and the Distorted Memory of Dissent," Dr. Christian Appy, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1028 Brown Hall.
• Monday, April 2, 6 p.m.: "Educational Equity: From the 'Kalamazoo Case' to the 'Kalamazoo Promise' and Beyond" panel with WMU's Kathy Purnell and Ashley Atkins, James Robb of WMU Cooley Law School, Cyekeia Lee of the Kalamazoo Promise, Michael Evans of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and Sandra Standish of KC Ready 4s, 204 Bernhard Center.
•  Thursday, April 12, 7 p.m.: "Inequality, Citizenship, and the Promise of Education," Dr. Danielle Allen, professor of government, Harvard University, 2452 Knauss Hall.

For more information, visit wmich.edu/ethics/events/lectures.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.