at the University of Notre Dame continued Monday (Jan. 21), Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with an MLK Celebration Luncheon at the Joyce Center.
Sponsored by the Office of the President and the Oversight Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the luncheon included remarks from Notre Dame President , as well as a panel discussion on race: 鈥淎 Call to Love: Bridging the Racial Divide.鈥�
Classes were canceled midday Monday so that students, faculty and staff could attend the luncheon. Those who could not attend were invited to gather in the dining halls for community building.
Now in its fourth year, Walk the Walk Week offers students, faculty and staff, as well as the community at large, the opportunity to celebrate the diversity that exists on campus and to reflect on ways to make Notre Dame even more welcoming and inclusive.
, vice president, associate provost and dean of the , emceed the event and offered welcoming remarks, calling on students, faculty and staff to 鈥渟end up a collective voice of defiance against any and all forms of discrimination.鈥�
Muhammad Abubakar Mian, president of the Muslim Student Association at Notre Dame, delivered the invocation. Karla Gonzalez Serrano, doctoral candidate in the , delivered the benediction.
Father Jenkins, in his remarks, reflected on King鈥檚 early years, including his time at Morehouse College and Crozer Theological Seminary, noting that most of his formation as a transformative civil rights leader took place during his college and postgraduate studies. He described how during that time, King became convinced that 鈥渋ntellectual excellence could be combined with preaching and the pastoral roles,鈥� and thus Christianity could be a force for positive social change.
鈥淎ll of us, students, faculty and staff, should be reminded of how powerfully King鈥檚 years as an undergraduate and graduate student planted the seeds for a life in pursuit of justice that had such an impact on our nation and our society,鈥� Father Jenkins said, adding, 鈥淭oday is the day we reflect on our calling in this regard.鈥�
The panel discussion featured moderator , director of the and associate professor of ; , director of ; , director of the , Coyle Professor of Literacy Education and professor of English and Africana studies; Alyssa Ngo, class of 2019; , vice president, associate provost, dean of first year of studies and professor of and ; , Michael P. Grace Professor of ; and Cameasha Turner, doctor of jurisprudence, third year.
Replying to a question about the appropriate response to racism, Page said, 鈥淚f you take the lead of Dr. King and embrace the idea of a commitment to love and a commitment to justice, that really is a demanding call that requires both soul searching and truth telling. Dr. King鈥檚 own reading of the prophetic tradition in the Hebrew Bible actually led him, I think, to understand that this required the ability to see clearly, to understand how structures work and what鈥檚 necessary to dismantle and transform them. It also required what might be termed, if you look at his own interactions with the black church and with clergy outside the black church, a kind of unholy patience.鈥�
Other topics of discussion included the distinction between racism and bigotry, white privilege, political correctness, 鈥渞everse racism,鈥� love as a response to racism and diversity and inclusion on campus, including the recent inclusive campus student survey.
Despite many challenges, the panelists expressed hope for the future.
鈥淢y students give me hope,鈥� said Tomasula. 鈥淲hen we have conversations in the classroom, I leave very often filled with joy. What they reveal about how they see the world and how they want the world to change and how they want to take their education at Notre Dame out into the world, that gives me hope.鈥�
Ngo spoke of the individual power to change.
鈥淵ou are in control of your own actions, your own heart, your own mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o that gives me hope that every single one of us in this room, no matter where you鈥檙e from or how you grew up or what you were taught, you can transcend that and become your own person. So ask yourself, what kind of person do I want to be and what are the steps that I can take to get there?鈥�
Walk the Walk Week continues through Saturday, with events including lectures, discussions, a unity summit, a social concerns fair and artist receptions.
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