martin luther king jr.
March 30, 2023
CCE to host 60th anniversary event for MLK’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’
Goshen College’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) will recognize the 60th anniversary of the Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, April 4, in the Church Chapel. King’s letter from Birmingham Jail was addressed to white clergy and churches. One excerpt from the letter states, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” With this in mind, the CCE will gather local church leaders to engage in meaningful conversation “so that dialogue...
January 20, 2022
‘Voices in the Movement’ contest awards student artists
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Goshen College hosted the first annual King Celebration “Voices in the Movement” arts competition. Separated into multiple artistic categories, including writing or spoken word, film, music, and visual art, Goshen College students and Elkhart County High School students were asked to demonstrate high artistry while addressing themes embedded in Dr. King’s vision. Students were split into two tracks. The first, entitled “Descendants of Dr. King,” was a category created to highlight the experiences of students from the Black community. The second, entitled “Allies of Dr. King,” was for students outside of the Black community...
January 20, 2022
King Convocation features Voices of the Earth
“Ain’t gonna let nobody… isolation… denigration… injustice, turn me around. I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’, marchin’ up to freedom land!” sang the Voices of the Earth choir as they performed the iconic civil rights movement song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” during the King Convocation on Monday. In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy, the choir also sang two other selections: “Ndandihleli” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” According to H. Roz Woll, assistant professor of music and director of Voices of the Earth, “Ndandihleli” is “an anti-apartheid song that was...
January 24, 2013
Johnson explores race through storytelling at MLK events
Dana Johnson, a novelist who now teaches at the University of Southern California, was a guest speaker on campus for the Martin Luther King Jr. events this past weekend. The California native has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. During her visit to Goshen College, Johnson read excerpts from her 2012 novel Elsewhere, California at a special reading on Saturday evening and during the extended MLK convocation Monday morning. Both readings were well attended and enthusiastically received. Elsewhere, California is a coming-of-age story about an African-American girl growing up in the suburbs...
January 17, 2013
MLK Day extends to weekend
Opportunities abound to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend as two speakers, Dr. Wilbert Smith, an award-winning filmmaker, and Dana Johnson, a novelist, visit the college to participate in a weekend of activities. Sophia Metzger, chair of the MLK committee, said that “Goshen College has a commitment to social justice. With the example of Dr. King we are compelled to cater ways that are relevant and speak to the issues of today.” With that in mind, Goshen College has expanded the Monday holiday into a weekend full of events focused on MLK. The weekend includes...
February 5, 2011
Students Vow to 40 Days of Peace
The events of this past Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend are slowly fading into GC history, but the Study Day Committee that put together the convocations, workshops, and poetry readings are not yet ready to call it quits. Instead, they have invited all GC students, faculty, and community members to take part in “40 Days of Peace.” The initiative was launched to help participants reflect on the question “How do you connect your faith with personal actions?” It began on January 17th and will continue until February 25th. Taking it a step further, participants pledged to take on the...
January 20, 2011
MLK Day events focus on faith in civil rights
The festivities of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. study day began bright and early on Monday with a 7 a.m. prayer breakfast. The meal was well attended, with community members, faculty and staff, and a number of student representatives all present. Voices-n-Harmony, Goshen College’s gospel choir, was also in attendance, and performed a selection of two songs. After the prayer breakfast, students, community members, faculty and staff performed or watched the annual spoken word coffeehouse, which was hosted this year by Leah Moreno and Jennifer Speight, both seniors. Performers included James Green, Isaac Lederach, Kellyn Yoder, Daniela Zehr, Leah...
January 21, 2009
Three convos for a King
The day before Barack Obama’s inauguration, programs at Goshen College celebrated the impact of Martin Luther King Jr. and the continuation of his work on the national and local level. This year’s activities emphasized the history and contemporary issues of civil rights and racism in Elkhart County. Dr. Monica Tetzlaff of the Indiana University-South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center offered historical background, while local families, including Adam and Maggie Williams’ family, shared stories of racism in Elkhart County. Adam Williams grew up in Alabama but “never experienced outrageous racism,” until he moved to Elkhart around 1993. In May 2008, Williams...