On Monday, Jan. 20, Goshen College hosted a student-led convocation in the Church-Chapel to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event was followed by a short march to the Recreation-Fitness Center, where participants engaged in activities such as interactive stations and raffles while enjoying snacks and drinks.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who fought for racial equality and justice through nonviolent activism in the United States. On the campus of GC, his achievements and history are annually celebrated.

This year, students in the Black Student Union, Advocates (LGBTQIA+ advocacy), One Circle (Indigenous advocacy), Muslim Student Association, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Student Union and Campus Ministries put together a presentation including different activists who participated in the civil rights initiative.

Cyneatha Millsaps, the executive director of the Center for Community Engagement, is in charge of the MLK Day planning committee, highlighted the importance of the celebration of such a date. “The day means a lot to me, that our nation slows down to not only celebrate [MLK’s] life but to continuously reckon with our past and present,” she said.

Concerning the process of planning the events for the date, Millsaps mentioned that she was the one responsible for bringing the committee together. “Because of my role at GC, I directly deal with the affinity groups … I wanted to know what the leaders of those groups thought was important and that is how the leaders of the affinity groups became part of the committee,” she said.

Alongside the leaders of different clubs, Kennedy Stewart, a junior elementary education major and president of BSU,

spoke at the convocation. “Bringing stories like the ‘paper bag’ one was aimed at helping everyone reshift their focus to understanding that there is no uniformity of shades … While we are not taping bags to doors today we are still facing colorism,” she said.

When asked about the impact of her speech as well as the presence of BSU in celebration of civil rights, Stewart said, “I really want my community to step away from appreciating only one step of blackness … I truly believe that as an activist you have the power to change something by just using your voice.”

Once the convocation concluded, students and faculty marched to the RFC to enjoy some food and more interactive activities hosted by the affinity groups. At BSU’s stand, a series of questions concerning racial privileges were asked while participants had their eyes closed. 

Kaitlyn Johnson, a sophomore business major and vice president of BSU, was responsible for coming up with the idea for the activity. “Our goal in designing the activity was to showcase the differences between majorities and minorities, as well as differences in the social class,” she said.

Alina Bergstresser, a first-year psychology and music double major, participated in the BSU activity. She commented, “In the activity in which we had to close our eyes and take a step back if we could relate to the question, I noticed that I was one of the people on the very front … it was interesting and eye-opening to notice my privileges like that.”

When asked about the importance of GC promoting such events, Johnson said, “Events like this help contribute to bringing unity within the college community … it allows people to realize that some people go through the same [things] as them,” she said.

Concerning the same topic, Millsaps also commented on awareness. She said, “When I think about the city of Goshen, I see GC as being the community leader. The way we celebrate MLK in school brings awareness to the entire community.”