A community dinner and a screening of a Spike Lee film about Hurricane Katrina are among the events Southwestern University will host in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day this year.

The community dinner will be held on Monday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the McCombs Campus Center Ballrooms. The dinner is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and under. For reservations, call 512-863-1342 or send a message to amersonm@southwestern.edu. Guests may pay by cash or check at the door. Featured speaker at the dinner will be Rev. John McCormick, pastor of Wesley AME in Georgetown.

Part I of Spike Lee’s film “When the Levees Broke” will be shown on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in Room 110 of the Olin Building. The viewing will be followed by a discussion led by Southwestern graduates Aaron Rohre and John Kotarski. Part II of the film will be shown the following day, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. in Olin 110. A discussion following this film will be led by Rohre and Alicia Moore, assistant professor of education.

Other events scheduled in conjunction with Martin Luther King day include a performance by the Marian Anderson String Quartet on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the McCombs Campus Center Ballrooms, and a MLK Chapel Service on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. in the Lois Perkins Chapel. Guest speaker at the chapel service will be Rev. Jacqui Thomas King, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Port Arthur.

On Jan. 17, Southwestern students will also participate in an afternoon service project in recognition of Martin Luther King Day. Students will join participants in Southwestern’s Upward Bound project in stuffing backpacks for the Backpack Project, which benefits homeless youth in Georgetown Independent School District. Southwestern received a grant for backpack supplies from the Texas Methodist Foundation.