The Denisonian

Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Coral Breuer Sophomore Jing Zhu makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as part of her group's service challenge last Sunday. Her group made 100 sandwiches for the Salvation Army.

Media Credit: Coral Breuer Senior Caitlin Jonassen, left, and freshman Brandon Hummons, right, prepare for the spoken word showcase, which will be performed this Wednesday in Slayter.

Media Credit: Coral Breuer Sophomore Ruben Sanchez leads preschool children in a song at the LEADS Head Start Preschool as a part of the MLK Service Challenge coordinated by the John W. Alford Center for Service Learning and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Sanchez and his group's challenge was to develop a 30 minute lesson plan to teach the students about MLK and his legacy.

To unknowing observers, Denison's celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been characterized by a peculiar week-long delay.

Yet the students, faculty and staff planning the many events honoring King are rather indifferent to the delay, arguing that the legacy of Dr. King should be celebrated throughout the year.

"Moving the Martin Luther King Day celebration back another week should not in any way halt those wishing to continue the legacy of Dr. King," Jerome Price, a sophomore history and black studies major, said. "Martin Luther King Day should be celebrated throughout the year though our personal actions and interactions."

Indeed, Price's argument that the holiday should be celebrated continually is precisely why the planning committee selected its theme for this year: "Constructing Community: What Piece is Next?"

"The theme was decided to focus on the future and where we saw Denison going within the next few years in terms of the community and we decided that we needed to adopt a community that cares for both the Denison community and the society as a whole and takes better steps to present it," Genesis Giraldo, a sophomore communication and international studies major and member of the planning committee, said.

Erik Farley, Assistant Dean of Students and co-chair of the planning committee, said that the events were a reflection of the current state of race relations at Denison, which Farley thought was still recovering after the all-campus forum at Mitchell in November of 2007.

"The school's at a rebuilding stage," he said. "We want these events to be an extension of the discussions that happened at Mitchell in 2007. It's helpful to hear what everyone is going through and it helps build community."

The events on Sunday started with a service challenge where groups of student volunteers were given an assignment withheld from them and expected to complete it at noon the next Monday. The challenges included collecting blankets for the Salvation Army in Newark, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a soup kitchen, and teaching a lesson on King to students in the Head Start program.

"It was a great experience to work with a bunch of students I have not worked with before. It was amazing to see how much we have accomplished in a short amount of time," commented DCA President Zack Goldman, a junior math major.

Giraldo admitted that she was most excited about the service challenge.

"Those that participate will be pushed out of their comfort zone, and that is exactly what Denison needs to grow in tolerence," she explained.

Also on Sunday was a chapel service held at Swasey Chapel by Rev. Gary V. Simpson, a Brooklyn pastor and Denison graduate.

On Monday, students gathered at Convocation in Mitchell to listen to a lecture given by Charles Ogletree, Jr., a Harvard law professor and prominent legal theorist.

Ogletree discussed the role of community and the power of inspiration in effecting social change.

Bolaji Azeez, an undecided freshman, enjoyed the speech.

"His speech was really inspiring," he remarked. "It covered a lot of history, spanning Martin Luther King through Nelson Mandela and ending with Barack Obama. It brought a lot of generations together."

Ogletree's keynote address was followed by an exercise where groups of students, faculty and staff devised solutions for tackling specific social justice and diversity issues.

Farley said that he eagerly anticipated the group exercises.

"The group will have to decide how to respond: Do they talk to people? Who do they talk to?," he predicted before the event. "Also, how will they prevent the incident from occurring again? It's a great opportunity to watch different voices approach a problem and solve it."

The events will continue through the week, starting with a spoken word showcase at Slayter on Wednesday, a workshop about community organizing on campus featuring documentary filmmaker and Colorado College professor, Maria Varela, at the Welsh Hills Room in Burton Morgan on Thursday, and ending with the Vail Series performance by Imani Winds, a woodwind quintet, at Swasey Chapel on Friday.

Upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Events

Wed., Jan. 27: Jazz Night and Spoken Word Showcase
8pm, the Roost

Thurs., Jan. 28: Student Activist Workshop with Guest Maria Varela
7pm, Welsh Hills Room, Burton Morgan

Fri, Jan. 29: Imani Winds with Stefon Harris Vail Series Event
8pm, Swasey Chapel

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