Multiple events have been scheduled at Hope College on Monday-Saturday, Jan. 15-20, for the college’s Civil Rights Celebration Week, including a multi-session leadership summit, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Lecture, a film screening and panel discussion, and an exhibition.
The public is invited to all of the events, although advance registration is required for the leadership summit. Admission is free.
The week honors all persons and groups who have worked toward the advancement of civil rights and social justice, and has been organized in conjunction with the national commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 15.
The events will begin during the morning of Monday, Jan. 15, with the second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Summit, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Haworth Hotel. Offering two sets of three breakout sessions, the summit will feature the theme “History in the Making: Behind the Dream,” with an emphasis on celebrating the history of advocacy and justice to empower future leaders and dreamers. The first three sessions will begin at 9:30 a.m., and will be “One Dream, Many Voices,” by the college’s Black Student Union; “Building the Beloved Community,” by the Latino Student Organization; and “The Need for Inmate Education,” by the Hope-Western Prison Education Program operated jointly by the college and Western Theological Seminary. The second set of sessions will begin at 12:45 p.m., and will feature “Community and Connection through the Lens of Dr. King,” by Anna Bonnema, assistant professor of mentoring instruction; "What Are You Doing for Others?" by Dr. Brooke Odle, assistant professor of engineering; and "History in the Making: Behind the Dream," by Dr. Pablo Peschiera, associate professor of English. The summit has been organized by Hope students with mentoring by the college’s Campus Ministries Office. The registration form has additional information about the breakout sessions and is available online.
The college’s Chapel service on Monday, Jan. 15, will feature a dramatic recitation of King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” The service will be at 10:30 a.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. Guests are welcome, but space will be limited — the chapel is regularly at capacity during the weekday-morning services.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Lecture will be presented on Monday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, and will explore “Reflections on MLK, Civil Rights and DEI at Hope College.” The address will be presented by Hope Professor Emeritus John Yelding, a specialist in diversity in education who continues to be active at the college as a teacher and mentor. Sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), the event will be the first of several throughout 2024 that will mark CDI’s work, growth, and impact since its founding in 1984. Following the Jan. 15 address, there will be a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the van Andel Huys der Hope.
The college will present the documentary film “Black Man” on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre in observance of the National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH), which is held the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The film highlights several Black men from Muskegon, ranging in age from 21 to 91, as they reflect on life, love, longings, losses and their place in America. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director/producer Jon Covington and a few of the men featured in the film. The event, along with an NDORH Racial Healing Circle, is sponsored by the college’s Office of Culture and Inclusive Excellence; Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center; Center for Diversity and Inclusion; and GROW Advocacy Council. Additional information about the Racial Healing Circle will be shared after the start of the new calendar year.
The Kruizenga Art Museum will be featuring the exhibition “Deep Roots, New Shoots: Modern and Contemporary Art from the KAM Collection,” showing 40 African artworks created between the 1960s and the early 2020s, from Friday, Jan. 12, through Saturday, May 18. The Kruizenga Art Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will also be a reception at the museum on Thursday, Jan. 18, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Along with the week’s public events, Hope students will engage in service projects throughout the area during the morning of Saturday, Jan. 20, through the college’s “Hope Serves” program. The program is coordinated by the college’s Office of Volunteer Services.
In addition to the college’s events, the Holland-based I AM Academy will hold its Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Hope: on Monday, Jan. 15, at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in events at the college, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., at the corner of College Avenue and 12th Street.
The Haworth Hotel is located at 225 College Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. 8th St., between College and Columbia Avenues.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.
The van Andel Huys der Hope is located at 110 E. 12th St., in the central campus along the former 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues.