Dallas, TX - The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture will present the Fifth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium, "I Have Dream: The Promissory Note," on January 18, 2010, 6PM-8:45PM, at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Keynote speaker is author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who was named by Ebony magazine as one of the hundred most influential black Americans. ALON USA is the presenting sponsor.

"The Institute's Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, held annually on the MLK National Holiday, aims at examining the depth and breadth of Rev. King's achievement and legacy, each year from a different perspective," said Dr. Larry Allums, director of The Dallas institute. "This 5th annual Symposium will focus on one of the most pressing and relevant questions of our day: what does the election of President Barack Obama signify in terms of Rev. King's lifelong struggle to realize equality for all people in America?"

In Dr. King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., he said, "When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir." The program title draws on this speech for its reference to "the promissory note."

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is the author of sixteen books, including "April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America," "Holler if You Hear Me," "Is Bill Cosby Right?" and "I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr." He is currently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and lives in Washington, D.C.

The evening will begin with a reception and light buffet at 6PM. The program will begin at 7 PM with Dr. Dyson's keynote address, followed by a discussion until 8:45 PM.

The MLK Symposium is open to the public, but attendance is by reservation only. Admission is $20; admission for teachers and students is $10. Group rate for 10 or more is $15 per ticket. To register, call the Winspear box office at (214) 880-0202 or go to www.attpac.org. For more information, call (214) 871-2440 or visit www.dallasinstitute.org

Corporate sponsors include: ALON USA (Presenting Sponsor); Baylor Health Care System; On-Target Supplies & Logistics; AT&T; and Oncor.

Individual sponsors include: Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Black, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. John R. Castle, Jr.; and Mr. and Mrs. J. McDonald Williams.

The program is also supported by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

Community partners include: Central Dallas Ministries; E.K. Bailey Ministries, Inc.; Foundation for Community Empowerment; and the African American Museum.

Members of the MLK Advisory Council for The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture include: Albert C. Black, Jr., president and CEO, On-Target Supplies & Logistics; John R. Castle, Jr., attorney and current chairman, Dallas Foundation Board of Governors; LaQuita Hall, AT&T vice president, Southwest Core Network; Shirley Ison-Newsom, director of Learning Communities, Dallas Independent School District; Veletta Forsythe Lill, executive director, Dallas Arts District; Dr. Nancy Cain Marcus, community leader and adjunct professor of humanities, University of Dallas and Southern Methodist University; Jeff Morris, president and CEO, ALON USA; and Ellen Williams, community leader.

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