From Monday, Jan. 15, to Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, Shenandoah University will host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Week – a week of free activities through which all are encouraged to volunteer their time in the service of others, celebrate diversity, and engage in reflection upon the meaning of Dr. King’s enduring and inspiring message. All events are free and open to the public.
The events are designed to encourage those at Shenandoah University to contribute to the betterment of the local community and the the world, with the understanding that good work that benefits even one person, truly benefits everyone. The university welcomes local community members to participate in all of its MLK Week events.
A variety of service opportunities are offered on Monday, Jan 15, including United Way brochure packaging, Rise Against Hunger food packaging, and volunteering at Winchester Day Preschool or The Kids Clubs of Northern Shenandoah Valley (these two opportunities require advance sign-up). Classes do not meet that day, but administrative offices are open and student groups and organizations throughout the Shenandoah University community are encouraged to honor Dr. King’s legacy by devoting their time and talents to a project on campus or in the Winchester-Frederick County community.
Also on Jan. 15, individuals have opportunities to experience a civil rights era sit-in via virtual reality in the university’s Brandt Student Center (BSC); tour the Our Health campus in Winchester, Virginia; and join McCormick Civil War Institute Director Jonathan A. Noyalas ’01, M.A., for a caravan tour highlighting the African Americans’ Civil War in Winchester. This caravan tour begins at 1 p.m. and originates from the front of the BSC.
Later in the day on Jan. 15, a screening of the documentary “An Outrage,” will occur at 3:30 p.m. in Goodson Chapel-Recital Hall and is followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and a call to action. The day concludes with a performance by Harambee Gospel Choir, refreshments and the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Service of Remembrance. The service begins at 5:30 p.m. in Goodson Chapel-Recital Hall.
MLK Week continues with volunteering opportunities with the Winchester SPCA or with SU Campus Kitchens, packaging meals for those in need. Individuals can also take this time to reflect on their own perceptions and assumptions of culture at the Navigating Intercultural Understanding workshop (from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17) or at the “Memorializing the Lost Cause: Myth, Memory, & Meaning” Dinner Dialogue (6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18). Noyalas will also present the lecture, “A Joyous Daybreak: Reflections on Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Emancipation’s Centennial” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in Henkel Hall, Hester Auditorium. Reflection can also occur at The Ball Pit: Have Ballsy Conversations or at Spaces to Dream stations in select Shenandoah locations.
Voter Registration will also be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in the BSC. Stop by and register to vote, update your voting information or simply check to see if you are registered.
A detailed schedule of events can be found at su.edu/mlk. Those who plan to participate are encouraged to sign up for events by filling out the Martin Luther King, Jr. Week Sign-Up Form. For more information about Martin Luther King, Jr. Week events, contact Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of General Education Amy Sarch, Ph.D., at asarch@su.edu.
