Offering the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address at Bates College is Keith Hamilton Cobb, an actor and playwright whose award-winning play “American Moor” explores the perspective of the African American male through the metaphor of Shakespeare’s “Othello.” Nina Wurtzel

LEWISTON — A generous menu of events — all offered in person and open to the public — awaits attendees at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance at Bates College.

Celebrating “Art and Activism,” the college’s MLK Day 2023 offers 24 different presentations Sunday and Monday. The observance is bookended by a documentary screening Sunday afternoon that features a Bates alumnus who leads young men in Chicago toward healing spaces, and by the crowd-pleasing, student-produced Sankofa performance Monday evening, according to a news release from Jay Burns, editorial director for the Bates Communications Office.

The centerpiece of the two-day observance is the keynote address at 9 a.m. Monday in historic Gomes Chapel by actor and playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb. President Clayton Spencer and Senior Sam Jean-Francois of Medford, Massachusetts, a member of the college’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Committee, will offer welcoming remarks.

An actor who has numerous television and film credits since the mid-1990s, Cobb gained new acclaim in 2019 for his award-winning off-Broadway play “American Moor,” which explores the perspective of the African American male through the metaphor of Shakespeare’s “Othello.”

The play is “about performing ‘Othello’ but also, in a way, about being Othello,” said a New York Times review — “a black man trying to find a path to excellence in a society anxious to keep him in his place.”

Cobb will lead a screening of “American Moor” following the keynote, a discussion of the play in the early afternoon, and a panel discussion, “Reconsidering Othello,” in midafternoon, joined by collaborators from his Untitled Othello Project and by Bates’ resident Shakespeare expert Katie Adkison, assistant professor of English.

Marshall Hatch Jr., Bates College Class of 2010, right, shakes the hand of a young man in Chicago in this publicity still from Joshua Altman and Bing Liu’s documentary film “All These Sons.” Submitted photo

On Sunday at 2 p.m. in Olin Concert Hall, Marshall Hatch, Class of 2010, returns to Bates for a screening and discussion of the documentary “All These Sons.” It follows Hatch, who leads the faith-based MAAFA project in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood, and a fellow community leader as they try to “shepherd young men away from Chicago’s gang life,” said reviewer Dwight Brown.

“On view are consciousness-raising groups, adolescents voting for the first time and churches with stained-glass windows depicting black religious leaders,” Brown said. Filmmakers Bing Liu and Joshua Altman “capture these precious moments of hope adroitly.”

Sunday evening’s traditional offering is the Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Service at 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gomes Chapel, featuring readings by Bates student poets, songs from local multi-faith community members, and a dance message by Assistant Professor of Dance Brian J. Evans.

Following Monday’s keynote address at 9 a.m. in the Gomes Chapel, a variety of workshops and presentations will be offered throughout the day.

At noon, “Bates Voices: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.” will be presented with readings by Bates faculty, staff, and students honoring King’s work, led by James Reese, associate dean for International Student Programs, at the Commons, Fireplace Lounge.

From noon to 1 p.m. at the Commons, lunch will be offered for $7. Visitors are welcome.

In addition to the many workshops and presentations during the day, The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays Class of 1920 Debate will take place at 4:45 p.m. in Olin Concert Hall. The popular debate, presented by students from Morehouse College and Bates College, honors Dr. Mays, a Bates debater, longtime Morehouse president, pioneer of the civil rights movement, and important mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s motion is: “This house believes that the targeting of iconic works of art to advance social justice is justified.”

Also of note, the Black Student Union’s annual cultural showcase, Sankofa, takes place Monday at 8 p.m. at Shaeffer Theatre. However the popular event is already sold out.

Most of the MLK Day events at Bates College require tickets. For more information and to reserve tickets, go to bates.edu. Each event listed in the schedule includes a link to reserve tickets. In addition, all events can be found, and tickets secured, through the Bates MLK Day Eventbrite ticket page at bates.edu.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at Bates are open to the general public. All guests are asked to follow the college’s visitor policy.

Video recordings of the keynote address at 9 a.m. Monday and the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays Debate at 4:45 p.m. Monday will be published Tuesday.