Martin Luther King, Jr. Week at Shenandoah University 2018 – Wrap Up

This week, the Shenandoah community dedicated itself to service, community, reflection and diversity, inspired by the life and work of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once said, “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness.” Shenandoah made its choice clear through its actions during Martin Luther King, Jr. Week. Approximately 240 volunteers from Shenandoah, the Islamic Society of Winchester, Beth El Synagogue, Burnt Factory United Methodist Church and Opequon Presbyterian Church worked together to package 50,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger. About 200 reflected on King’s legacy at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Service of Remembrance, and 12 built cultural competence at a Navigating Cultural Understanding Workshop. Fifty people viewed the documentary “An Outrage,” at Goodson Chapel-Recital Hall and met with the filmmakers to discuss the history of lynching in the American South. A dozen people braved 16-degree temperatures to learn about the African-American experience in Winchester during the Civil War. More than 200 people stepped into the past, via virtual reality, to experience a 1960 lunch counter sit-in inspired by Dr. King’s philosophy. The Harambee Gospel Choir performed in Winchester on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and later in the week, brought the spirit of unity and justice to a lunchtime audience of about 50 people at the university’s location at Inova Center for Personalized Health in Fairfax. And more 200 than people also volunteered at sites throughout the Winchester area and Northern Virginia, working with children, health and human service organizations, and a local SPCA. People also shared their hopes and dreams for the future and took time out to have meaningful conversations in areas designed for just those purposes. “I am really proud of what we accomplished together as a community,” said Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of General Education Amy Sarch, Ph.D. “This week has been one that truly represents to me what makes Shenandoah, Shenandoah.”