A leadership summit for the campus community on Monday, Jan. 16, will focus on continuing the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Note: The commemoratie march scheduled for 1:15 p.m. has been canceled due to the inclement weather in the forecast.
Subtitled “Why We Can’t Wait,” the summit will take place during national Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with activities including two blocks of breakout sessions for students, faculty and staff at the college’s Haworth Hotel in the morning. It has been planned and is being implemented by students through Campus Ministries. Participation is free, although advance registration at hope.edu/mlksummit is requested.
As described in the event’s overview, “faculty, staff and students will leave knowing more about the advocacy, life, ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and leave with rejuvenated faith in God and confidence in their leadership and advocacy capabilities. The life, ministry and work of Dr. King has been significant in shaping the structural and systemic efforts for unity in the United States of America, and it is our desire for that very same impact to touch the campus of Hope College for future generations.”
Check-in will be at the Haworth Hotel from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The breakout sessions will begin at 9:35 a.m. and 11 a.m., with three sessions running concurrently during each of the two blocks. There will be an opportunity in between to attend the 10:30 a.m. Chapel service in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The sessions at 9:35 a.m. will be: “Relationship Violence,” led by Students Teaching and Empowering Peers; “Unmasking King,” led by the Black Student Union; and “Integration and Reconciliation of Difficult Conversations,” led by Student Congress Culture and Inclusion.
The sessions at 11 a.m. will be: “Listening Like the King,” led by Anna Bonnema, director of Fostering a Community of Excellence in Science; “MLK’s Impact on Christianity and American Culture,” led by Dr. John Yelding, an emeritus member of the education faculty; and “The Common Thread,” led by Dr. Fred Johnson, professor of history.
At 1:15 p.m., participants in the summit are invited to participate in a commemorative march along with others from the campus community and members of the Holland community. The march will begin at the Haworth Hotel and conclude at Dimnent Memorial Chapel for the 2 p.m. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Lecture sponsored by the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Cultural Affairs Committee, Culture and Inclusive Excellence, multicultural student organizations and GROW Collaboration
The 2 p.m. keynote address in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, “Dr. King’s Smallest Freedom Fighter,” will be delivered by Sheyann Webb-Christburg, a civil rights activist, author and youth advocate who is known as one of the youngest activists during the Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama, in the 1960s.
The leadership summit’s activities will conclude on Monday, Jan. 16, with three screenings of the film “King in the Wilderness” — at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. — at Sperry’s Moviehouse.
All of the events on Monday, Jan. 16, are part of the college’s annual Civil Rights Celebration week. The week honors all persons and groups who have worked toward the advancement of civil rights and social justice, and is organized in conjunction with the national commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m., there will be a screening of the 1999 film “Selma, Lord, Selma,” which was based on Webb-Christburg’s book of the same title. A panel discussion will follow featuring Webb-Christburg as well as Dr. Chuck Green, professor emeritus of psychology, and Dr. Choonghee Han, professor of communication. Shomari Tate, chaplain of discipleship at Hope, will moderate.
The public is invited to the Jan. 16 keynote at 2 p.m.; the Jan. 16, screenings of “King in the Wilderness” at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and the Jan. 17, screening of “Selma, Lord, Selma” and panel discussion. Because space will be limited, all who wish to see “King in the Wilderness” are asked to preregister. Advance registration is not necessary for the Jan. 16 march and keynote, or the Jan. 17 screening of “Selma, Lord, Selma” and panel event.
The link to pre-register for events that require it is: hope.edu/mlksummit
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion requests and encourages wearing masks indoors.
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. Sperry’s Moviehouse is located in downtown Holland at 84 W. 8th St., between South River and Pine avenues.