Former U.S. Representative and 2006 Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. is scheduled to speak Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Center for the Arts as this year's 32nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Event guest.
UB's Minority Faculty and Staff Association (MFSA) is sponsoring this particular Distinguished Speakers Series lecture.
Ford is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats. According to the Democratic Leadership Council Web site, he was involved with the New Democrat Coalition and Congressional Black Caucus during his time in congress.
The congressman is also an author of Tomorrow's Patriots and one of PEOPLE magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2001.
This year's current president of the MFSA Cheryl Taplin - not involved in last year's decision to bring Ford to UB - believes the speaker was chosen because of his firsthand knowledge of politics.
"I am assuming he was chosen because of the election year. I definitely think his perspective, from being a senator and U.S. representative, on how the voting process works in the U.S. is important," Taplin said.
Past Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Event speakers included astronaut Mae Jemison, Ph.D., scholar and author Stephen Carter, and Congressman J.C. Watts.
"We want to highlight African Americans who have made some type of contribution on the positive end to society to a whole. We try to look for those people and bring them to the campus," Taplin said. "We want to show people that they can make a difference no matter how big or how small."
Many students were unfamiliar with Ford and the upcoming lecture.
"I didn't know anything about it. I have no clue who he is," said Nailah Hatten, junior civil engineering major.
Taplin explained the lecture was publicized as much as the other Distinguished Speaker Series lectures.
"I don't think I will attend. I didn't even know about it," said Brittany Ballard, a senior history major. "I would attend if I liked him. I like politics; I just don't think that he's a big enough figure."
Taplin recommends that students unfamiliar with politics or congressman Ford should attend the lecture.
"From my point of view, knowledge is power. We are here to gain knowledge everyday. If you don't know who a person is go and hear what that person has to say," Taplin said.
Hazem Qassem, a junior electrical engineering and business administration major, is eager to see the upcoming speaker. Qassem explained that he wants to hear Ford's view on current issues, including the economy.
"I would like to hear him speak out about the current situations that we - the nation and us, the people - are facing. I want to hear about the economy and class," Qassem said. "I am going for myself so I can learn and have better knowledge that I can share with everybody else."
Jorge Ortiz, a sophomore communication major, sees the lecture as an opportunity to listen to a person who has a lot of relevant experience in politics.
"He's an African American in [the] senate and he's a Democrat with religious values that I find interesting for a democrat to put out there. I just want to see how he will convey that to a university."
Ortiz believes the university should reach out to the university to improve attendance at the free lecture.
"Not everyone is involved or active in politics. For the guests that are not that well known, if the school reached out to more people then more people would show up."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
