Northwestern University held its annual event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing this year on the concept of a “Beloved Community.” The main event was a panel discussion on January 20 at Galvin Hall, featuring Northwestern faculty and local community leaders. The conversation explored the meaning and practical application of King’s vision in today’s society, with attendees present both in person and via livestream.
The commemoration included activities throughout the week on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Provost Kathleen Hagerty opened the keynote event, followed by a reflection from Nekesa J. Josey, president of the Student Leadership Council at Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies. Josey stated, “We need a transparent criterion: character, courage and a willingness to act in the service of something larger than ourselves,” adding, “Dr. King embodied that standard.”
Soul4Real, an a cappella group, performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before the panel began their discussion.
The panel was moderated by Sylvester Johnson, chair and professor of Black studies. Panelists included Leslie Harris (professor of history), Kate Masur (John D. MacArthur Professor of History), Morris “Dino” Robinson (production manager at Northwestern University Press and founder of Shorefront Legacy Center), and Laurice Bell (executive director of Shorefront Legacy Center).
Michelle Manno, associate provost for community enrichment, commented on this year’s format: “For the first time, our keynote featured a panel of Northwestern faculty and Evanston community experts which perfectly embodied the theme of ‘Beloved Community.’ Our goal was to highlight the incredible scholars and practitioners we have within our community who are thinking deeply about and working daily to realize King’s vision.”
Panelists addressed questions submitted by members of the university community.
Morris “Dino” Robinson described his view: “I think of family. And I’ll put this in a context of why I started Shorefront. I didn’t start it because I wanted to control or tell people’s stories. I wanted to learn what families have experienced… when it comes to bringing people together… we come to the same table… when I think about beloved community, it’s about all these difficult times, but how then we come together and rise above that.”
Kate Masur spoke about public understanding of Black history: “I started working closely with the U.S. National Park Service out of a desire to make sure the history that people are now writing in academia is making its way to the public… We needed to tell the story of Reconstruction… All those stories that have been suppressed for so long… I think it’s profoundly American to invest in education, to invest in research, to tell the truth… That’s exactly what is in danger right now.”
Leslie Harris reflected on King’s legacy: “I think it’s really important to think of legacy… he gave us some ideas… But for the living, we have to decide where those legacies continue… Everyone loves the ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’ but he wasn’t just about dreaming as we all know… There are so many hard things he said… We sometimes forget the hard decisions that would have to be made… So, I think we have a lot to do…”
Laurice Bell addressed ongoing challenges: “We’ve always been in a fight. This isn’t new… Black community archives were ignored… In terms of how we retrench…it’s what we’ve always been doing — we continue to collect stories…. within our first cohort [of interviewees], there were 12 individuals who were interviewed who’d received Reparations; five …within two years have passed away…. Our history isn’t disappearing…but…the firsthand ability to collect it is…”
In addition to panels and discussions such as those addressing homelessness linked with MLK’s activism or events like Eva Jefferson Day or an oratorical contest—Northwestern also held a candlelight vigil as part of its weeklong commemoration.
The Office of Community Enrichment has invited members across campus communities to contribute toward building Future Archive: Our Beloved Community—a digital archive aiming for collective storytelling.
