U of U Event Commemorates MLK's Legacy

Apr 03, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) The conversation on human rights spearheaded by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior half a century ago continues today, even as we observe the fortieth anniversary of his assassination, says University of Utah law professor Amos Guiora.

"What rights, and are there limits to those rights, and who grants those rights, and how can you exercise your rights without imposing on my rights. And where is that line going to be drawn? And that's why I think in terms of the question, ‘Did he die in vain? I think the answer to that is, ‘Clearly not.' I think he forces us to think these issues through," Guiora says.

The University of Utah is co-sponsoring a conference Friday commemorating King's legacy. Guiora says it will examine the balance between the right to be free from discrimination and the right to be free from terrorism in a post 9-11 world. The day-long event will include a debate, titled "Security and Civil Rights: Can We Have Both?" between Colonel Morris Davis, the former prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay, and Purdue Political Science Professor Louis Rene Beres. Guiora says King's legacy has framed such debates in terms of equal rights.

"Dr. King's message was relevant in his day then and I think they are relevant today," Guiora says. "King was obviously talking about rights. And the question is what are the limits of rights. And again tying it to the post 9/11 world, are there limits on rights in the context of responding to various threats that exist?"

The free conference begins tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. at the Downtown Salt Lake City Mariott Hotel. More details are available here.

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