Princeton professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell spoke about the current racial climate in America Wednesday night as part of ALST Day celebrations on campus.

Harris-Lacewell, a frequent contributor to MSNBC and other media outlets, tackled the broad topic by explaining race in four ways: racial context, race as a factor in candidate choice, race and governing, and race inequality and policy-making.

The Colgate campus Tuesday night hosted a key and sometimes controversial figure of the civil rights movement, Angela Davis, who urged students to reconsider how they view black history.

A university professor and activist for civil rights, prison reform, and political accountability, Davis was brought to Colgate by Sisters of the Round Table (SORT).

"In celebration of Black History Month our organization thought it was important to bring a speaker that highlights the contributions of black women," said Gabriella Jones-Casey '09, chairwoman of SORT.

Michael Eric Dyson is not afraid to shake things up, which is why his lecture "From Sit-ins to Hip Hop: A Social Consciousness in a Post-King America" left students both moved intellectually and shaking with laughter.

Named by Ebony as one of the 100 most influential black Americans, Dyson is a university professor at Georgetown and author of 14 books.

The uplifting and educational music of the Grammy Award-winning group Sweet Honey in the Rock will cap off a series of events at Colgate University honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

The campuswide activities will feature readings of King's speeches, music, discussions, presentations, and faculty and student-led workshops on civil rights topics.

The theme of this year's Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration: arts and activism.