The Student Multicultural Affairs Department looks forward to a busy week as students and faculty prepare to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King truly honors all of us,” says Terri Johnson, Assistant Dean for Student Multicultural Affairs. “It is important to remember and to recognize that we must continue to fight for the rights of all people because we are all truly interconnected and what affects one truly affects all.”

The week will commence on Monday, MLK, Jr. Day (Day of Service), with student leaders from Spring Breakaway who will volunteer at The Caring Place. They will assist with accepting, sorting, and hanging donations in the thrift store, which helps to financially support the programs The Caring Place offers.

“Instead of having a “day off” of work, it’s more of a “day on” for your community,” says Laurie Avery, Coordinator of Civic Engagement.

The Office of Civic Engagement reminds the Southwestern and surrounding community that it was Dr. King who made the call to serve.

“We encourage students to get out and serve on this day and throughout their time at Southwestern,” says Avery.

Avery says the OCE has a Facebook page and e-mail subscription for students to learn about on-going and future service opportunities.

The Southwestern University curriculum focuses not only on civic engagement and giving back, but examines the causes of poverty, inequality, and other challenges that affect communities. Students are also challenged to explore solutions. This is especially true for students earning a minor in Race and Ethnicities Studies, a new minor that came to fruition in 2013.

“The minor is growing very quickly within our diverse campus, gathering a large number of students who want to emphasize race and ethnicity studies in their future studies and careers,” says Omar Rivera, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the RES minor.

As part of the growing minor, a Race and Ethnicity Studies committee was created. The committee planned and hosted the inaugural Race and Ethnicity Studies Symposium last year during MLK, Jr. week. This will be its second year in motion and Rivera says the free and open-to-the-public symposium is stirring up community conversation.

“Recently, the RES minor has gathered the attention of the Georgetown community because it facilitates academic and educational events that enable productive dialogue about difficult issues, including those arising from local racial and ethnic relations,” says Rivera.

Here is the schedule of The Race and Ethnicity Studies Symposium 2016:

Tuesday, January 19th
5:30-7:30 p.m., Marsha Ballroom

  • 5:30 p.m. Welcome (Omar Rivera, PhD. Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the RES minor)
  • 5:45 p.m. Paige Duggins, JD Candidate, University of Texas School of Law (May 2017)
    Current Controversies in Race and the Law
  • 6:15 p.m. Banafsheh Madaninejad PhD., Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Religion
    The Dynamic Nature of Islamic Orthodoxy: The Internal Debate We Don’t Hear About
  • 6:45 p.m. Melissa Johnson PhD., Professor of Anthropology
    Life Da Bush: Racialization, Socionature and Rural Creole/Kriol Belizeans

Thursday January 21st
5:30-7:30 p.m., Marsha Ballroom

  • 5:30 p.m. Patricia Schiaffini PhD., Part-Time Assistant Professor of Chinese
    Redefining Tibet: State Representation of Tibetan Ethnic Identity in the PRC
  • 6:00 p.m. Elissa Underwood, Attorney and PhD candidate in American Studies at UT-Austin
    Tastes of Freedom: Food and Foodways in the US Carceral State
  • 6:30 p.m. Davi Thornton PhD., Associate Professor of Communication Studies
    Remembering Civil Rights: Commemorating the 1958 Dockum Drug Store Sit-ins

Also on Thursday, there will be an uplifting worship service to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Local Georgetown pastor Rev. Rudy Williams will preach and special music will be led by Kabi Kamau and Jermaine Dumas. It will take place at 11:30 a.m. inside of the Lois Perkins Chapel.