Just before Christmas, Lucia comes to light up the long Swedish winter nights. Enjoy this bright and beautiful Lucia Day celebration in the elegant setting of the Grand Hotel’s Hall of Mirrors. Gloria Ray Karlmark, one of the members of the "Little Rock Nine", will be our guest speaker. While Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King are household names in the U.S. for their roles in America’s civil rights movement, less-known but equally important are the Little Rock Nine: 9 black students who gained national attention in 1957 by challenging the South’s segregation of schools when they entered all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Gloria Ray Karlmark, who has lived in Sweden nearly 40 years, will share her story of work in the civil rights movement and offer her perspectives on Sweden (read more about Gloria Ray Karlmark below !). We are also extremely excited to welcome Emily Samson Tepe back this year to lead our traditional Lucia procession and song. For our lottery, Delta Air Lines has again contributed a wonderful travel package which includes 2 roundtrip tickets, rental car from Alamo and lodging from InterContinental Hotels , so be sure to buy your lottery tickets.
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King are household names in the U.S. for their roles in America’s Civil Rights movement. Less-known but equally important are the Little Rock Nine: 9 black high school students who gained national attention in 1957 by challenging the South’s segregation of schools when they entered all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Forty years later, the Nine were honored at the White House by President Bill Clinton, each receiving the highest award a non-military citizen can receive, the Congressional Gold Medal. Now, fifty years later, you have an opportunity to hear one of the Little Rock Nine speak at this year’s American Club Lucia Luncheon!
Gloria Ray Karlmark has lived in Sweden nearly 40 years, working throughout Europe for IBM and serving 15 years as Editor In Chief for the Computers in Industry journal, which she co-founded in 1976.
Fresh back from the U.S. where she and her 8 colleagues commemorated the 50-year anniversary of that fateful day they walked into Central High School and into the history books, Gloria Ray Karlmark will tell us of the foundation “The Nine” have established, providing educational scholarships to lower-income children in America. She will also share with us her lifetime of work promoting positive race relations in the U.S., and also of her perspectives on Sweden.
Do not miss this unique opportunity to hear one of America’s foremost civil rights pioneers!
11:45 a.m. Registration in Strömsalongerna and glögg and pepparkakor in the Vapensalen
12:00 p.m. Lucia luncheon in the Spegelsalen (Hall of Mirrors) with:
Speaker: Gloria Ray Karlmark
Lottery drawing
Music: Emily Samson Tepe
2:00 p.m. Luncheon concludes
DATE: Thursday, December 13, 2007
TIME: 11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
PLACE: Grand Hotel, Hall of Mirrors
COST: SEK 450:- per member before December 4; SEK 500:- thereafter. Members may bring one guest at the member price. SEK 575:- per non-member or additional guests. SEK 5000:- per table of 10 (4500:- if before December 4th)
RESERVATION AND PAYMENT: Reservation and payment no later than December 8. Reservations to Lucia Luncheon: email: amevents@americanclub.se or call Mike at 073 714 8789. Then, send payment to Bankgiro 5473-6830. Write “Lucia Luncheon” and print legibly the names of the participants. Space is limited – first come, first served. Reservations are binding after December 8.