MLK Celebration

MLK Teach-in Jan. 20, 2025, noon to 3:30 p.m. in the WMU Student Center
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5372 USA
(269) 387-6313

MLK Teach-In 2025

NOTE: The Teach-in event has been relocated from the WMU Student Center to Room 1910 of Sangren Hall. 

Monday, Jan. 20

Noon to 12:30 p.m.—Welcome

Remarks by Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director; Dr. Cristobal Rodriguez, associate provost for equity-centered initiatives; and Dr. Karika Parker, Lewis Walker Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow, on the theme "MLK's Blueprint for Justice. They will explore how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Life Blueprint" speech can inspire individuals to critically address injustice and foster solidarity to protect civil and social liberties.

12:35 to 1:25 p.m.—Interview with an Activist

Panelists Dr. Don Cooney, associate professor of social work and Kalamazoo City Commissioner; Dr. Dee Sherwood, associate professor of social work and director of the WMU Native American Affairs Council; Frank Waln, Lakota musician and artist-in-residence; and Olivia Gries, graduate student, will share personal experiences and practices of incorporating activism and social justice into their daily lives.

1:30 to 2:25 p.m.—Music with a message: Unpacking Songs of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director, and Dr. Brianne Pitts, assistant professor of teaching, learning and educational studies, explore songs between 1958-63 that were powerful sources of resilience and healing for Black communities.

2:30 to 3:20 p.m.— Student demands for 2025: What are we asking for now? 

This session will examine the 1968 demands of WMU's Black Action Movement, which drove transformative change, and explore contemporary demands from young people for inclusion, respect and equity in institutions. Moderated by graduate student Mariana Montserrat Bringas-Acevedo with student panelists Morgan Alford, graduate student; Asa Hollingsworth, Alpha Phi Alpha vice president; Mabinty Kebe, student athlete; undergraduate student Romari Phillips; and Leiah Seawood, MLK Scholar.

Sponsor

This free and open event is sponsored by the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations. Food will be provided by the Office of the Provost.