The University will celebrate the life, legacy, and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a robust series of events presented by members of faculty and sponsored by Wittenberg鈥檚 Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC). Events are scheduled throughout the months of January and February.
鈥淲e are excited to see the rich range of topics and approaches to these events鈥攆rom a hip-hop performance, to a science symposium, lectures and dialogues in a variety of disciplines, and a Day of Service sponsored by the Hagan Center on King's birthday,鈥� said Lori Askeland, professor of English and DAC chair. 鈥淒AC encourages everyone to devote at least one session in their class to exploring the values, history, and issues that Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month seek to honor and pause on, and to do so in a way that is relevant to their discipline and course subject area.鈥�
DAC encourages everyone to see inclusion and equity as year-round goals on campus.
鈥淚t's with that in mind that we especially feel the importance of honoring the heroic efforts of all those who fought to make Martin Luther King Jr's birthday a national holiday and fought to build and expand Black History Week to a full month. Wittenberg also acknowledges the work of historian . and world cultures,鈥� Askeland added. 鈥淭his is a great opportunity to devote time specifically to understanding the ways all of our lives, institutions, and disciplines are shaped by social structures created in the crucibles of extractive colonization and slavery, and how we might continue to strive for what King called 鈥榖eloved community.鈥欌��
Relevant class session or events that will be open to the community include the following:
- Monday, Jan. 16: The MLK Day of Service, hosted by the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban Engagement, will begin in Geil Lounge of the Benham-Pence Student Center at 2 p.m.
- Tuesday, Jan. 17: 鈥淏rown is Almost 70! - The Legacy of the Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on the De-Segregation of Schools,鈥� presented by Brian Yontz, interim provost and professor of education, via Zoom at 9:30 a.m. Please email byontz@wittenberg.edu for link.
- Wednesday, Jan. 18: 鈥淢artin L. King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel: Collaboration for Liberation鈥� will be presented during a class taught by Julius Bailey, professor of philosophy, at 9 a.m. in room 318 of Hollenbeck Hall. Chad White, of the United Theological Seminary, will be the guest speaker. Vanessa Plumly, assistant professor of languages, will present "Fasia Jansen: From Concentration Camp Forced Laborer to Post-WWII German Activist" in room 234 of Hollenbeck Hall from 1 to 1:50 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 19: Marlo Starr, assistant professor of English, will present "Fragments of an Epic Memory: Black Diasporic Poetry鈥� in room 131 of Hollenbeck Hall from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Billy Davis, associate professor of psychology, will present "The Psychology of American Racism" from 3 to 4 p.m. in Bayley Auditorium in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center.
- Friday, Jan. 20: Julius Bailey, professor of philosophy, will host a public dialogue with Chad White titled 鈥淲hat Does a Prophetic Religious Community Look Like?" beginning at 9 a.m. in room 105 of the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning. Travis Proctor, assistant professor of religion, will host 鈥淢ine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and Social Justice in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 Final Speech鈥� from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in room 262 of the Science Center. Kunal Chatterjee, assistant professor of biology, and Michelle McWhorter, associate professor of biology, will host a Martin Luther King, Jr. Week symposium at 2 p.m. in Bayley Auditorium in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center. The theme of the symposium will center on health issues facing marginalized communities in present day United States.
- Monday, Jan. 23: DAC will host a dialogue with rapper Tronee Threat on 鈥淭he Art of Living Ethically After Prison鈥� during Professor of Philosophy Julius Bailey鈥檚 103 Living Ethically class, at 9 a.m. in room 318 of Hollenbeck Hall. Threat will also do a hip-hop performance entitled "Who U Witt" later in the evening at Founders Pub beginning at 7 p.m.
- Monday, Jan. 30: Scott Rosenberg, H. Orth Hirt Endowed Chair of History, will present the 鈥淭rans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Origins of Racism鈥� at 11 a.m., in room 316 of Hollenbeck Hall.
- Thursday, Feb. 16: Elena Dahl, associate professor of art, will host a screening of the film 鈥淩edlining:Mapping Inequality in Dayton and Springfield鈥� from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Kissell Auditorium in Koch Hall.
- Tuesday, Feb. 21: Julius Bailey, professor of philosophy, will host a talk on 鈥淭he Black Church and The Civil Rights Movement鈥� with Chad White at 2:30 p.m., in room 316 of Hollenbeck Hall.
- Thursday, Feb. 23: Julius Bailey, professor of philosophy, will present 鈥�(LWB) Loving While Black: The Radical Politic of Soul鈥� at 2:30 p.m., in room 316 of Hollenbeck Hall.
You can all view the entire list here.
