MLK Day

Wesleyan University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration, held February 3, was a moment for hard truths about racial justice in the United States and inspiration for where we might go as a nation. The annual commemoration concluded Equity and Inclusion Week and launched a series of events to recognize Black History Month. The MLK Commemoration, hosted by Demetrius Colvin, director of The Resource Center, featured a recollection of King’s special relationship with Wesleyan. The civil rights leader visited campus four times and was an honorary degree recipient in 1964. In addition, Black Raspberry, an all-Black student musical group, offered…

The 2023 Equity & Inclusion Week, hosted by the Office for Equity & Inclusion, will offer a series of talks, workshops and film screenings intended to foster fellowship, understanding, and collective community learning. “At Wesleyan we hold these values around celebrating and honoring that our community is as diverse as it is. I think we can live out that commitment by continuing to engage identities that are different from ours and also by creating opportunities for folks who have historically been marginalized to be able to come together and share their experience with one another, find support from one another,…

Andratesha Fitzgerald exhorted the Wesleyan University community to use “power” as a way to lift each other up and honor one another. Fitzgerald, an activist, educational scholar, and international speaker, shared her personal experiences during Wesleyan's 15th annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Feb. 4. Wesleyan's 2022 celebration of MLK Day served as the concluding event of the second annual Equity and Inclusion Summit. During her talk, titled "Power and Empowerment: Honoring by Decision and Design," Fitzgerald explored the notions of power and empowerment that are made evident in our decisions, our designs, and our outcomes under the umbrella of…

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On Jan. 31, the Wesleyan community celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a commemoration and program. This year, artist, writer, producer, and activist Bree Newsome delivered the event's keynote address. Newsome drew national attention in 2015 when she climbed the flagpole in front of the South Carolina Capitol building and removed a confederate battle flag. She was arrested for her actions. The flag was originally raised in 1961 as a racist statement of opposition to the Civil Rights movement and lunch counter sit-ins occurring at the time. Newsome’s act of defiance against the culture of white…

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On the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Wesleyan is celebrating his legacy with several commemorative events focused on the theme "Black Agency: Finding Freedom." "Dr. King, of course, spoke on our campus on several occasions and had a profound impact on efforts here to promote equity and inclusion," wrote Demetrius J. Colvin, director of the Wesleyan Resource Center, in an all-campus email. "I encourage you to take advantage of the powerful programs developed for Black History Month. Students have put a lot of work into these programs, providing us all with the opportunity to…

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This February, in honor of Black History Month, Wesleyan is hosting a series of events including a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; discussions on current black issues and diaspora blackness around the world; a Black History Month formal celebration; a unconventional poetry performance; a black radical protest with a former Black Panther activist; a student of color art show and live performances; and much more. Ujamma, Wesleyan's black student union, is coordinating all events. (Click graphic below to enlarge).

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration planning committee invites all members of the Wesleyan community to take part in a MLK Commemoration from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Feb. 3 in Memorial Chapel. A reception will follow in Zelnick Pavilion. Theodore Shaw ‘76, Hon. '14 will deliver the keynote address titled "Freedom is a Constant Struggle." Shaw is the Julius L. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. Professor Shaw was the fifth Director-Counsel and President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,…

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Campus Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Commemoration

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