Save the date! Emerson College will hold its Third Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. week during the third week of January 2016. The week consists of a series of events and service opportunities for all members of the campus community and community partners. This year’s theme, “Why We Won’t Wait,” emphasizes the urgency of action in response to social injustice, and references King’s idea about human limits:
“Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and we are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963)
Throughout the week, theOffice of Diversity and Inclusion is encouraging other units on campus to hold one-hour campus-wide conversations on race and other differences, culminating in a “conversation summit” on Friday, January 22nd. TheElma Lewis Center for Civic Engagement, Learning and Research host its Community Leaders Breakfast on Wednesday, January 20th, when entertainers, artists, and local leaders celebrate community leadership.
Friday, January 22nd will be Emerson’s MLK Day of Service, a campus-wide event honoring the legacies of King and other social justice leaders, educating the community about the importance of solidarity, and connecting Emersonians through service. The event includes both on- and off-campus opportunities for service with nonprofits and schools, and runs from 8:30am-1:30pm in the Bordy Theatre. The event is co-organized by the Office ofAcademic Engagement and Community Action and theOffice of Off-Campus Student Services. All faculty, staff, students, and alums are invited to participate and can register by sending an e-mail to ocss@emerson.edu or RSVPing to the Facebookevent.