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Goshen College

Goshen College hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Study Day Jan. 20

January 15, 2003

GOSHEN, Ind. —For the 10th straight year, Goshen College will honor the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. by holding an all-school Study Day, with emphasis on the values and ideals that characterized King’s work.

The college’s 2003 Martin Luther King Day to be held Monday, Jan. 20, will feature Deborah Wilds in the keynote address at 10 a.m. in the Church-Chapel; she will speak on “Our Call to Wholeness and Diversity,” and also will lead an afternoon workshop on the same topic. Wilds is a program officer for scholarships and higher education access with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Performing at the convocation is the Lee Heights Church Choir of Cleveland, Ohio. The community is invited to attend the convocation free of charge.

GC Professor of Economics Del Good, chair of the college’s Martin Luther King Day Committee, said campus organizers hoped the day stands as “a call for justice for all persons regardless of race or religion, a call to resist injustice and oppression, but in nonviolent ways, and a deep belief that King’s dream is an attainable dream. Racism is a stubborn reality in our world, in our communities and on our campus. We have attempted to provide settings for thoughtful reflection and open dialogue.”

Afternoon workshops at 1 and 2 p.m. will address topics ranging from the role of jazz in the Civil Rights Movement to affirmative action to standing out in a crowd.

Following the workshops there will be a 3:30 p.m. Celebration Concert in the Music Center featuring the Goshen College Chorale, Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Voices ‘n Harmony Gospel Choir. This performance is also free and open to the public.

For more information about the study day call the Multicultural Education Office at (574) 535-7548. The Church-Chapel, Newcomer Center, Music Center and Umble Center are accessible to people using wheelchairs and others with physical limitations.

The complete Martin Luther King Jr. Study Day schedule follows:

7:30 a.m. – Community Prayer Breakfast, Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall; sponsored by Goshen College, Goshen Health System, Goshen Chamber of Commerce and Goshen Ministerial Association.

  • Speaker – Rev. Gilbert C. Washington, pastor of St. Paul Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and Chaplain at Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, South Bend.
  • Music – Goshen College Voices ‘n Harmony

9 a.m. – Opening film: “Martin Luther King Jr.: Portrait of An American,” Umble Center

10 a.m. – Study Day Convocation, Church-Chapel

  • “Our Call to Wholeness and Diversity” by Dr. Deborah Wilds, program officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Special performance by Lee Heights Church Choir, Cleveland, Ohio.

1 p.m. – Session I, workshops and discussions in the Church-Chapel and Newcomer Center:

  • “Satchmo, Lady Day, and the Art of Transportation: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement,” David L. Mosley, professor of music and humanities, Newcomer Center 17.
  • “Reflections on the King Holiday” Facilitated by Regina Shands Stoltzfus, associate campus minister, and Sylvia Shirk Charles, campus minister, Church-Chapel112-113.
  • “Affirmative Action and Today’s Society,” Steve Nolt, assistant professor of history, and panel, Church-Chapel 110-111.
  • “Wholeness and Diversity,” Dr. Deborah Wilds, program officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Church-Chapel 301.
  • “Kuzwayo among Yoders: Standing Out In The Crowd,” Rachel Koontz, senior, Church-Chapel 143-144

2 p.m. – Session II, workshops and discussions:

  • “Satchmo, Lady Day, and the Art of Transportation: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement,” David L. Mosley, professor of music and humanities, Newcomer Center 17.
  • “Reflections on the King Holiday” Facilitated by Regina Shands Stoltzfus, associate campus minister, and Sylvia Shirk Charles, campus minister, Church-Chapel 112-113.
  • “Affirmative Action and Today’s Society,” Steve Nolt, assistant professor of history, and panel, Church-Chapel 110-111.
  • “Jive Talkin’ Poetry Reading,” sponsored by the Black Student Union, Church-Chapel 143-144.
  • “Why Are Two White Women Interviewing Mennonite Women of Color?” Pat McFarlane, associate professor of communication and English, and Linda Christophel, school social worker in St. Joseph’s County, Church-Chapel 301.

3:30 p.m. – Celebration Concert, GC Music Center: Sauder Concert Hall.
Goshen College Chorale, Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Voices ‘n Harmony Gospel Choir

7 p.m. – MLK Celebration, St. James AME Church, to be held at 122 Dr. King Drive, Elkhart, Ind.

Editors: For information, contact Jodi Hochstedler at (574) 535-7572 or jodih@goshen.edu. Reporters and photographers are welcome at any of the events.