“We are excited to see the rich range of topics and approaches to these events—from a hip-hop performance, to a science symposium, lectures and dialogues in a variety of disciplines,” said Lori Askeland, professor of English and DAC chair. “DAC 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.”
DAC encourages everyone to see inclusion and equity as year-round goals on campus. With this in mind, Askeland said they especially feel the importance of honoring the “heroic efforts of all those who fought” to make MLK’s birthday a national holiday and “fought to build and expand” Black History Week to a full month.
“This 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 ‘beloved community,’ ” she said.
The university also held its MLK Day of Service on Monday and “Brown is Almost 70! — The Legacy of the Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on the De-Segregation of Schools” on Tuesday.
Other class sessions and events that are open to the community include:
Today, Jan. 18: “Martin L. King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel: Collaboration for Liberation” will be presented during a class taught by Julius Bailey, professor of philosophy, at 9 a.m. in room 318 of Hollenbeck Hall, with Chad White, of the United Theological Seminary, being the guest speaker; Vanessa Plumly, assistant professor or languages, will present “Fasia Jansen: From Concentration Camp Forced Laborer to Post-WWII German Activities” from 1 to 1:50 p.m. in room 234 in Hollenbeck Hall.
Thursday, Jan. 19: Marlo Starr, assistant professor of English, will present “Fragments of an Epic Memory: Black Diasporic Poetry” from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. in room 300 of Hollenbeck Hall; Billy Davis, associate professor of psychology, will present “The Psychology of American Racism” from 3 to 4 p.m. in room 101 of Blair Hall.
Friday, Jan. 20: Bailey will host a public dialogue with White titled “What Does a Prophetic Religious Community Look Like?” at 9 a.m. in room 105 of the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning; Travis Proctor, assistant professor of religion, will host “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and Social Justice in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Speech” 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 will center on health issues facing marginalized communities in present day U.S.
Monday, Jan. 23: DAC will host a dialogue with rapper Tronee Threat on “The Art of Living Ethically After Prison” during Bailey’s 103 Living Ethically class at 9 a.m. in room 318 of Hollenbeck Hall. Threat will also do a hip-hop performance later in the evening at 7 p.m. at the Founders Pub.
Monday, Jan. 30: Scott Rosenberg, H. Orth Hirt Endowed Chair of History, will present the “Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Origins of Racism” 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 “Redlining: Mapping Inequality in Dayton and Springfield” from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Kissell Auditorium in Koch Hall.
Tuesday, Feb. 21: Bailey will host a talk on “The Black Church and The Civil Rights Movement” with White at 2:30 p.m. in room 316 of Hollenbeck Hall.
Thursday, Feb. 23: Bailey will present “(LWB) Loving While Black: The Radical Politic of Soul” at 2:30 p.m. in room 316 of Hollenbeck Hall.
For more information or the list of events, visit www.wittenberg.edu/student-life/diversity/activities-programs.
About the Author
