Wayne State's Martin Luther King Jr. Program will honor the memory and legacy of the extraordinary civil rights leader. The program titled Champions of Justice will be held Monday, Jan. 20, 2003 at the Student Center Building. Congressman John Conyers Jr., a native Detroiter who has served in Congress since 1964, will be the guest speaker for the luncheon program that runs from 12:30-2 p.m. The luncheon will also feature music selections by the Wayne State Woman's Chorale. For more information call Wayne State's Office of Community Affairs at (313) 577-2246.

"Wayne State's Martin Luther King Jr. program theme this year is Champions of Justice, which is befitting for the memory of Dr. King," said Faye Nelson, vice president for governmental and community affairs at Wayne State. "Congressman Conyers is also a "Champion of Justice" and has been throughout his nearly four decades as a legislator on Capitol Hill, authoring or having been a signatory to numerous pieces of legislation that continue to protect rights and insure equality for all Americans."

Conyers is an alumnus of Wayne State where earned bachelor's and law degrees. Among his numerous achievements in Congress are: being a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, introducing the Hate Crimes Act, sponsoring the National Voter Registration Act and he led the drive for the Martin Luther King Holiday Act in 1983. Conyers hired Rosa Parks to work in his Detroit office in 1964, where she was employed until her retirement in 1988.

Conyers is married to the former Monica Esters and they have two sons, John III and Carl Edward.

A private reception is being hosted prior to the luncheon at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History that will display the exhibit commissioned by the Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American History at Wayne State. The exhibit is titled: "Marching Toward: The History of the14th Amendment." The exhibit highlights the struggle for civil rights under the U.S. Constitution by African-Americans.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.