Service opportunities, gatherings and other special programs at Elon during January will commemorate the life and work of the late civil rights leader.
Elon University will celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month with events hosted by several departments, offices and programs on campus.
The 2019 MLK Jr. Celebration Planning Committee is excited to partner across campus to promote and provide opportunities for the Elon community to engage with contemporary issues involving civil rights and race. This year's events carry the theme of "The Hammer on Civil Rights," taken from a 1964 essay by King that called for all levels of government to revise laws and the legal system to ensure the protection of civil rights promised by the Constitution.
To help structure the programmatic offerings in memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and create pathways for involvement, the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education and the MLK Jr. Celebration Planning Committee have created three broader categories to organize events and prompt engagement:
LEARN: Programs in the learn pathway are informational and/or instructional in nature and may take the form of keynote speakers, invited lectures from faculty/staff within Elon (or beyond), involve undergraduate and faculty research or screenings of movies with panel styled Q&A, etc.
ENGAGE: Programs in the engage pathway allow participants to engage with others to explore a civic or community-based phenomenon that is more directly tied to one or more themes of MLK’s work, life and legacy. This can include the implementation and/or participation in a variety of community engagement and/or service-learning-esque events with partners in the community, deliberative dialogue and/or other expositions.
EXPRESS: Programs in the express pathway seek to highlight various, multidimensional aspects of the lived experience at the intersection of concepts and themes related to MLK Jr. This may include creative, musical, dance and theatrical performances, oratorical contests, and panels of Elon students, faculty and staff.
Anyone with questions about the following events is encouraged to contact Brandon Bell, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education, at 336-278-7244 or bbell5@elon.edu.
Martin Luther King Jr. Circle of Hope Dialogue
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 12:30 p.m.
Moseley Student Center Room 215
The Circle of Hope Dialogue is a campuswide effort to engage faculty, staff and students in dialogue around race relations in the 21st Century as it relates to a broader swath of contemporary civil rights issues. Informed by excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s essays and writings we invite you all to join us for insightful conversation. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. To RSVP click here. Space is limited to the first 40 individuals to register. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’ and ‘Engage’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events Target Audience: Elon students, faculty, staff and community
Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Anita Hill, “From Social Movement to Social Impact: Putting an End to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” – Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture
Thursday, Jan. 10, 6 p.m.
Alumni Gym
An attorney, professor of law and advocate for equality and civil rights, Hill works toward increasing parity and protection for women and minorities. Her testimony during the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas in 1991 sparked a national conversation about sexual harassment. A graduate of Yale Law School, Hill worked for the U.S. Education Department and Equal Opportunity Commission and in 1989 became the first African-American to be tenured at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She is now a professor at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and heads the Hollywood Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace that is examining the pattern of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. Contact the Center for the Arts at (336) 278-5610 for additional information. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’ pathway in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Project
Friday, Jan. 11, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
Habitat for Humanity House, Burlington, N.C.
Join Elon Volunteers! for a service project with Habitat for Humanity as part of MLK month activities! Volunteers will contribute with hands-on work at this year's Elon University sponsored Habitat for Humanity house in Burlington. The shift will last from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 and transportation will be provided. Once you sign-up the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement will be in touch with more logistical information. This program aligns with the ‘Engage’ pathway in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events. Click here to register.
Sponsored by The Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement
International Museum of Civil Rights – Cultural Excursion
Saturday, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.
Station at Mill Point, Clubhouse
The Station at Mill Point and the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education are excited to partner to sponsor a trip for Elon University students and the community members of Morgan Place and Ball Park Communities to the International Civil Rights Museum. Positioned directly beside the Station at Mill Point Residential Community, the Morgan Place and Ball Park Communities are historical black communities of Elon. Students interested in participating in this cultural excursion can sign-up here. Space is limited to the first 12 students who RSVP. Contact Billy Baker at bbaker20@elon.edu or Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’ and ‘Engage’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events
Sponsored by The Center Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education and the Station at Mill Point
Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Oratorical Contest
Monday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m.
Irazu Coffee Shop, Moseley Student Center
The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education in partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Incorporated are thrilled to host the MLK Jr. Collegiate Oratorical Contest. Interested students can acquire the prompt and register to participate in the contest here. Elon students seeking to compete in the oratorical contest must register by Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 5 p.m. We invite the campus community to attend the oratorical presentations from our students. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. This program aligns with the ‘Engage’ and ‘Express’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by The Center Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc.
Martin Luther King Jr. College Coffee – The Hammer on Civil Rights
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Noon
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Student Center
Elon University’s Residential Dining and Campus Engagement will be sponsoring a special “Hammer of Civil Rights” College Coffee. We invite the campus community to attend and commemorate the life and legacy of one of the world’s most inspiring civil rights leaders. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’ and ‘Engage” pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by The Center Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, Residential Campus Dining and Engagement
Engaging Whiteness – A Discussion about Race
Wednesday, Jan. 16, 3 p.m.
Moseley Student Center Room 215
Back by popular demand, the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education is excited to offer the ‘Engaging Whiteness’ session from the 2018 Summer Race, Reflection and Discussion Series, as a part of the 2019 MLK Jr. Commemorative events. This session explores the construction of race and thus Whiteness and the cultural and systemic implications, thereafter. Students, faculty and staff interested in participating outside of the Division of Student Life, can RSVP here. Space is limited to the first 20 to register. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’, ‘Engage’ and ‘Express’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by The Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Martin Luther King Jr. Church Service
Sunday, Jan. 20, 10:50 a.m.
Elon First Baptist Church, 113 Lynn St., Elon
We welcome Elon students, faculty, staff and community to join us in fellowship at Elon First Baptist Church as we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Join us after service for a continued fellowship, fun and games. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information. This program aligns with the ‘Engage’ and ‘Express’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by Elon First Baptist Church and the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Who Matters to God? Multifaith Perspectives on Black Lives Matter
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m.
McBride Gathering Space (Numen Lumen)
Join us for a dinner conversation that engages perspectives from different religious traditions in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The event will include student-facilitated table conversations, as well as free pizza and salad. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’, ‘Engage’ and ‘Express’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
wInterfaith Luncheon Series: Diverse faith perspectives on the Hammer of Civil Rights
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 11:45 a.m.
Community Life Center, Elon Community Church
Join us for a panel discussion that engages diverse faith perspectives on the ongoing task of building more just communities as part of celebrating the ongoing legacy and challenge of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement. The event includes free lunch for students and costs $8 for faculty/staff and community members to attend. Cash or check will be accepted at the door. This program aligns with the ‘Engage’ and ‘Express’ pathways in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Elon Law Martin Luther King Jr Keynote Speaker – Randy Williams
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 12:30 p.m.
Elon Law School, Room 207
The Elon School of Law is excited to host Elon associate vice president, assistant professor and Virginia native Randy Williams as its 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Speaker. Continuing the university conversation regarding the 2018–19 Common Reading, ‘Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County', the lecture will address resistance, resilience and resolve in Prince Edward County, Virginia following the Brown decision in 1954 and the quest for civil rights then and now. This program aligns with the ‘Learn’ pathway in the 2019 MLK Jr. Calendar of Events.
Sponsored by Elon University School of Law
2019 Martin Luther King Jr Commemoration Planning Committee Members
Brandon Bell, Chair – Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Kyle Anderson – Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement
Billy Baker – Housing and Residence Life, The Station at Mill Point
Matt Buckmaster – Global Education Center and The Department of Music
Barb Carlton – Moseley Student Center
Maggie Castor – Inclusive Community and Well-Being
Amy Chilcutt – Academic-Residential Partnerships for Dining Engagement
Stacie Dooley – Elon School of Law
Fredrick Evans – President, Sigma Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Jennifer Fish – Elon University School of Education
Joel Harter – Truitt Center
Emily Krechel – New Student and Transition Programs
Derrick Luster, Student Coordinator – Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Jennifer Gilbert Mencarini – Elon School of Law
Nialani Robinson – President, Omicron Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Sam Murray – Elon University Athletics
Mariatu Okonofua, Student Coordinator – Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Jasmine Suitt – Elon University Graduate Admissions
Portia Wade – Elon School of Education