{"id":58088,"date":"2025-01-21T16:48:47","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T21:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=58088"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:15:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T16:15:53","slug":"emu-hosts-eighth-annual-day-on-to-celebrate-life-legacy-of-mlk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/emu-hosts-eighth-annual-day-on-to-celebrate-life-legacy-of-mlk\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU hosts eighth annual ‘day on’ to celebrate life, legacy of MLK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eastern Mennonite University hosted a full day of events on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This marked the eighth annual day of education, learning and service held at EMU to celebrate the life and legacy of the civil rights and peace leader.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The morning kicked off with a unity march around the indoor track in University Commons. Students, faculty, staff and other community members held signs with messages of peace and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During an open forum event called Speak Out, students and staff shared quotes from Dr. King that resonated with them and spoke to the theme of the day, \u201cRadical Truth-telling.\u201d Celeste Thomas<\/strong>, director of multicultural student services and chair of the committee planning the day\u2019s events, said: \u201cSilence is not always golden, and if the narrative is wrong, we need to correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The life of Dr. King is a special model for EMU, explained President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman <\/strong>in her remarks at Convocation, as the university aspires to fulfill its vision.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cAs we honor King\u2019s legacy today, we underscore the ways our educational core values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and active faith intersect at EMU as we form a discerning community of learners,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huxman, who is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 academic year after having served nine years as EMU\u2019s ninth president and first woman president, was instrumental in working with Thomas to create a day of events at EMU to commemorate Dr. King. During only her second year at EMU, the inaugural MLK Jr. Celebration was approved as a \u201cday on\u201d for learning, education, and service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt EMU, we take the full day to commemorate, reflect, serve, and take inspiration from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,\u201d Huxman said in her remarks. \u201cWe take the day off so we can take the day on. So, while there are no classes, there is lots of engaged learning going on. So, seize the day, EMU Royals!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We take the day off so we can take the day on.”<\/strong><\/p>\nEMU President Susan Schultz Huxman<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The EMU Gospel Choir, led by senior music major Kay Pettus<\/strong> and accompanied by Music Program Director Dr. David Berry<\/strong> on piano, performed \u201cLift Every Voice and Sing,\u201d \u201cEvery Praise\u201d and Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u201cHappy Birthday,\u201d a song that celebrates King\u2019s Jan. 15 birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jodie Geddes<\/strong> MA \u201916<\/strong>, an international speaker on restorative justice, author, and advocate of racial healing and justice, served as keynote speaker for Convocation. She spoke about her work on a truth-telling project shining light on the 1919 massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, as well as her experiences at a reconciliation village in Rwanda that seeks to unite survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. A video recording of Convocation is available to watch on the EMU Facebook page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the MainStage Theater, EMU History Professor Dr. Mark Sawin <\/strong>delivered a riveting presentation on the history of the family who lived in and operated the Ida Mae Francis Tourist Home<\/a> at  252 N. Mason St. in Harrisonburg. The five-bedroom, one-bathroom house was listed in several editions of The Green Book<\/em>, a guide featuring businesses across the nation that welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow, until the early 1960s. The professor, who serves as the consulting historian for the house, used old photos found inside the home, interviews with neighbors, and clippings of archived Daily News-Record <\/em>articles to weave together stories of the people who lived and stayed there. These days, the family of Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed<\/strong>, director of alumni engagement and community connections at EMU, own the property and are in the process of transitioning the ownership to a 501c3 nonprofit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Monday afternoon, conversation circles facilitated by the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) encouraged open dialogue and guided discussion about radical truth-telling. Geddes was on hand at the Studio Theater for a workshop (pictured above) that engaged in journaling, meditation, and therapeutic processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the evening, students gathered at University Commons for a special event where they could make their own hair care products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coverage of the day from local media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n