It’s not a day off—it’s a day on. That is the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the University of Redlands, 在那里，1月20日标志着一个多星期庆祝这位民权领袖的工作和遗产的活动的结束.
今年的纪念活动是由一个代表全校声音的指导委员会策划的.
“该委员会的使命是庆祝邓文迪博士的遗产和宗旨. King through servant leadership, community engagement, and service,” said Chris Barnes, resident director of Anderson Hall who chaired the group. “The events offered during MLK week all spoke to one of these three areas.”
Watch a video montage of the week:
Starting with service
大学社区服务学习(CSL)组织了两次推进金的目标的机会。. On Sunday, January 12, almost 100 volunteers from across campus packaged 10,150 meals for Rise Against Hunger, 一个国际饥饿救济非营利组织，协调食品和其他援助的包装和分配给发展中国家的人民.
The following day, about 20 no-sew blankets were made for Get on the Bus, 这是恢复性司法工作中心的一个项目，该项目将因犯罪和刑事司法系统而分离的儿童和家庭团结在一起. 这些毯子是为乘坐巴士去看望被监禁的父母的孩子们提供的安慰物品.
“Dr. King had a vision of a beloved community and, here at the University of Redlands, we believe in honoring his memory through service,” said Justine Doyle ’18, CSL的毕业生实习生，马丁·路德·金周活动指导委员会成员. “MLK Day is a national day of service, 对于我们的办公室来说，为学生提供“一天”服务的机会一直很重要.”
Free Hugs
1月14日星期二，学生和客人们排队等待小肯·恩瓦代克的免费拥抱., founder of the Free Hugs Project, 谁分享了他从住在无家可归者收容所到成为全国公认的活动家和和平缔造者的故事. 在2013年爆炸案一年后的2014年波士顿马拉松赛上，他登上了全国头条. 以几秒之差未能获得比赛资格，但决心以某种方式参加比赛, Nwadike put on a shirt that read “free hugs” and stood along the route, ready to hug any runner for encouragement.
“I wanted to be an example of love,” he said. The response was overwhelming and laid the foundation for his peace work. In addition to giving motivational talks, Nwadike shows up at rallies, protests, demonstrations, and riots, 他经常将自己置于危险之中以缓和执法部门和社区之间的紧张关系.
“How many people are going to stand in the middle? 作为缓冲，提醒人们要善待彼此，我们都是人.”
Nwadike ended his talk by sharing his five steps for those who want to create change: 1) turn tragedies into testimonies; 2) don’t wait for a leader, become one; 3) form a team; 4) lead with love; and 5) cheer each other on.
Speeches, poetry, and posters
学生们也有机会在Hunsaker Lounge聆听马丁·路德·金的演讲，并通过制作海报和多样性倡议组织举办的梦想诗歌口语工作坊来探索他们对和平的想法.
“诗歌口语让每个人都有机会说出真实的真相，全心全意地倾听那些可能难以启齿的事情,” said Magdalena Sanchez ’21, 指导活动并担任指导委员会成员的硕士生. “我希望所有参与者都能怀着同理心和对彼此经历的洞察力离开这次经历，并提醒大家马丁·路德·金的遗产在今天的意义.”
Annual Sunday Service
On Sunday, January 19, 哈佛大学举行了一年一度的马丁·路德·金纪念仪式，随后是哈佛大学黑人学生会主办的烛光守夜活动，以纪念仇恨犯罪的受害者.
该服务以大学教堂歌手和美声唱诗班为特色，演唱福音和精神传统音乐, as well as reflections from Chaplain John Walsh, Peter Tupou of U of R Religious Life and Diversity and Inclusion, and others.
“我认为这项服务很重要，因为它允许两件事，”图普说. “Things that are not yet done — the dream is not yet a lived reality — and secondly this helps bring us together to do the work of justice together; it allows for our community to reflect upon our similarities and to build stronger bonds on the common goals of justice.”
Peace Walk
On the morning of January 20, the weeklong celebration culminated with more than 100 faculty, administrators, students, staff, 以及聚集在行政大楼的社区成员走上和平之路.
Before embarking across campus, University of Redlands President Ralph W. 昆科尔让大家花点时间想象一下，如果金去世了会是什么样子, who would now be 91 years old, was among them. “What would he say about his ‘dream’ from a half-century ago?” Kuncl asked. “你的生活状况如何?因为他而有什么不同?? … What work is left for you and me? 这仅仅是一个人的梦想，还是你和我能做些什么来实现它?”
As the group made its across the campus over the next hour, it stopped several times to hear music, poems, and remarks. At the end, Kendrick Brown, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 鼓励参与者反思他们在游行中的感受和聚集在一起的原因.
“Because we are diverse, we have many different ideas about the right way to live our lives,” Brown said. “对于我们的国家应该如何看待，以及我们的世界需要什么才能变得更美好，我们有不同的看法. 我们的多样性带来了丰富的差异，有时会让我们感到惊讶和震惊. 然而，我们需要永远记住，我们的多样性是我们的优势.
“当我们举办这样的活动时，我们表明，在我们的多样性中，我们有着重要的联系. We share: a common commitment to having a better world; a dedication to honor our collective appreciation for justice and peace; and a realization that our diversity enables us to feel a strength when we are together that we may not always feel when we are alone.”
Learn more about the University of Redlands.
