Project News

Starbucks on Tuesday said it will close its more than 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores, including those in Arizona, for the afternoon of May 29 to conduct racial-bias training. The effort is designed to prevent discrimination following the Thursday arrests of two African-American men at a Philadelphia location.

Black culture is constantly being used, abused and appropriated. Its beauty and uniqueness cause frenzies because its essence is unmatched. Hip-hop and rap are cornerstones of black culture. Both genres are testaments to the love, pain and joys of life.

In the aftermath of the chaos that erupted in Philadelphia as Eagles fans tore through the streets celebrating their Super Bowl victory, many could not help but notice the difference in how the public and officials reacted to riots by fans compared to those prompted by civil unrest. 

Students of different faiths and cultures are able to come together through the many different interfaith initiatives that ASU offers. One of these, Dispelling the Myths: Religious Doctrine and Religious Dogma, is a series of public conversations hosted by Project Humanities that aims to encourage community building among people of different faiths. “We hope (Dispelling the Myths) will be a place where people can be honest about their misconceptions,” said Neal Lester, director of Project Humanities.

It almost sounds like the start of a joke: How do you get a staunch Republican and a left-leaning Democrat to have a civil conversation about Arizona politics? Sit ’em down for a meal. “It’s hard to be uncivil when you’re having a meal with someone,” said Neal A. Lester, founding director of Arizona State University's Project Humanities and Foundation Professor of English. “Bringing people together around a meal has the potential to make conversation easier to have, especially surrounding politics.”

Ahwatukee Professor Neal Lester will be honored in two separate celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr., but he's more than a little wistful about all the memorials that will be taking place in advance of and on the slain civil rights leader's birthday Monday.

THE HOLIDAY HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KINK JR. HAS HAD A BUMPY HISTORY IN ARIZONA. WE EXAMINE THAT HISTORY AND TALK TO DR. NEAL LESTER (DIRECTOR ASU PROJECT HUMANITY) ABOUT THE RISE OF PROTESTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND IF THERE HAS BEEN ANY PROGRESS SINCE MLK WAS APROVED IN ARIZONA.

A partnership in Phoenix is celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by uniting Jewish and African-American communities and recognizing that their people share a past and present rife with prejudice.

Once again, the MLK holiday is upon us, and once again we rehearse the words of “I Have a Dream” and reflect on whether we are ever going to realize Dr. King’s dream of social justice and equity. To commemorate this day and Dr. King’s bold commitment to servant leadership, many coordinate single-day service projects that “give back to the community.” We see vintage footage of King and his Civil Rights activism and attend myriad festivities in local parks with vendors marketing their wares.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 15. People can honor his legacy by taking part in these celebrations throughout the Phoenix metro area all weekend.