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2025 MLK Celebrations
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This year's theme is "Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?"
The 2025 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration theme is penned from the last book he published prior to his assassination. Under the backdrop of monumental change in America after new laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed the next phase of the movement would bring its challenges. This book inspires thought and hope in on advancing the movement, from continued interracial coalitions to faith, economic justice, nonviolent action and the ballot.
As Baldwin Wallace is centered in its own challenges of what the next steps of social action will be, and our nation navigates the aftermath of a contentious election cycle and global unrest, the tenets of Dr. King’s work ring more now than ever before. In what ways will we rise to the challenge of finding new ways to build even when we don’t feel like building? How do we advance community and justice when the structures that support community have been dismantled? Come join the committee as we challenge you to consider your role in answering, “Where do we go from here?”
Agenda
Upcoming Events
Fri, Jan 17, 2025
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
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2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Rev. James Lawson Commemorative Exhibit Opening
As part of Baldwin Wallace University's MLK Week Celebrations, we are proud to announce the opening of the Rev. James Lawson Commemorative Exhibit at Ritter Library. Including materials from his time at BW and his time as a Civil Rights leader, the exhibit will be on display in the Ritter main lobby. Open to all BW students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public, the display will be available during Ritter Library hours.
Join BW's Director of Spiritual Life CJ Harkness and the MLK Planning Committee as we open the Rev. Jame Lawson Commemorative Exhibit with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and a few words to honor the Civil Rights giant.
Lawson, who grew up in Massillon, Ohio, came to BW to study sociology and quickly put his values into practice, joining the local chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation as well as the Congress of Racial Equality.
Before finishing his degree, he elected to be a conscientious objector of the draft and was imprisoned for 13 months.
Following his release, he finished his degree at BW and went on to spend three years in India as a Methodist missionary, where he studied Gandhi's methods of civil protest.
For more information about Rev. James Lawson, please click here.
Thank you to the staff at Ritter Library for their work in helping us celebrate Rev. Lawson.
Mon, Jan 20, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Private Location (sign in to display)
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
MLK Prayer Breakfast
Sponsored by Mt. Zion Baptist Church
200 Mt. Zion Way
Berea, OH
Speaker: Minister Tonnette Williams
Join us for a reflective celebration featuring music, readings and keynote speaker Minister Tonnette Williams.
National Day of Racial Healing- Faculty, Staff and Alumni
A Jacket Circle is an experiential process by which, through storytelling and deep listening, we can embrace our common humanity, learn to see ourselves in one another, and approach difficult issues and needed policy changes through the lens of empathy and compassion.
Participants will have an opportunity to engage in dialogue with their colleagues in a virtual, transformational experience.
Sponsored by the BW Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Team.
NOTE: This event is only open to BW Faculty, Staff and Alumni.
Thu, Jan 23, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Private Location (sign in to display)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Refresh Ecumenical Service & Candlelight Vigil
Featuring the Berea-Midpark High School Choir
Co-sponsored by the Black Student Alliance and the Office of Spiritual Life
Sat, Jan 25, 2025
1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Social Change Summit
This FREE conference-style event is in the spirit of MLK's legacy surrounding social justice. The program is designed to help students move from feelings of anxiety, apathy and angst regarding current events into ACTION for social justice and positive social change.
Sponsored by the David & Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement.
NOTE: This event is only open to BW students, faculty and staff. Registration is required.
Mon, Jan 27, 2025
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Private Location (sign in to display)
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
MLK Keynote Presentation
We are excited to welcome Dr. Michael A. Baston, president of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), as our keynote speaker. Dr. Baston is an in-demand speaker on the role of higher education in moving the needle on equity and justice in America.
In addition to his presidencies, Dr. Baston is known as a national leader, including his role as a national Guided Pathways and Equity Transfer Initiative coach for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
The Keynote will be presented as a discussion moderated by BW's CJ Harkness, with questions created to reflect on the 2025 MLK Week theme, "Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?"
To submit a question for the event, please click here: https://cglink.me/2pB/s90524
Sponsored by the Center for Inclusion and Enduring Questions: The Mark Collier Lecture Series.