How We're Honoring MLK Day in 2021
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18, 2021 comes days before a monumental presidential inauguration and follows a year of widespread protesting, discussion, and continued work to improve racial inequalities and violence toward BIPOC-identifying citizens of the United States. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Representative John Lewis—who passed in 2020—and the widespread Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Chatham’s Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, the Diversity & Inclusion Council, the Office of Student Engagement, and the City of Pittsburgh are hosting a wide range of events that emphasize “stirring up good trouble,” a.k.a. honoring activism and positive social change in 2021. Check out the event listing below for ways to get involved on campus, at home, and across the city:
Representative John Lewis and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march side by side from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi in 1966. (Photo by Harry Benson)
“Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Agitational Art Workshop with DS Kinsel of BOOM Concepts
Sunday, January 17
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Learn about and make art together virtually that can be shared in local shop windows and other public spaces using recycled materials to activate neighborhoods by way of calls to action expressed through media. Collect photos of the work installed in areas of high visibility (walkways) and share on organizational platforms.
11:00 am - 11:30 am: DS Kinsel leads agitational art-making
11:30 am - 12:00 pm: Personal/solo action afterward of putting art up in high visibility areas
Processing Trauma Through Art Workshop with Dafna Rehavia-Hanauer, Licensed Professional Counselor, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC
Sunday, January 17
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Learn about Dafna’s creative practice and take a visual tour of her new art exhibition up on display at BOOM Concepts. Participate in a creative and reflective activity using recycled materials from your home.
Michelle Obama Day Celebration
Sunday, January 17
8:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Join the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and CAB for a Netflix Party as we celebrate Michelle Obama Day with a streaming party of Becoming, in honor of former First Lady Michelle Obama. Becoming is a documentary partly based on Michelle Obama’s best-selling memoir of the same name and features footage of her travels, interviews, and work during her time as First Lady.
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Nicholas Anglin, co-founder of Young, Black, & Educated
Treasure Palmer, co-founder of Young, Black, & Educated
Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s MLK Day Celebration
Monday, January 18
3:00 PM
For 2021, KST’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration goes virtual! Tune in and share in celebrating King’s legacy in the here and now! This pre-recorded broadcast, Living the Legacy, highlights Pittsburgh artists and activists who are living and working in King’s legacy today. The program will highlight the work of Black Young & Educated, a group of activists who organized sixteen weeks of Black Lives Matter protests in Pittsburgh throughout the summer of 2020; feature a performance from and conversation with the artists Lost Culture Dance Crew and Jameelah Platt; present song and dance from last year’s stage celebration including performances from The Funky Fly Project, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, and K-Theater Dance Complex, and more!
Stirring Up Good Trouble: Addressing Issues of Racial Inequality from Past and Present - Diversity Dialogues
Tuesday, January 19
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Join the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and the Diversity & Inclusion Council for a one-of-a-kind Diversity Dialogue where Chatham alumni, Pittsburgh youth, and current students will provide their perspectives of what it means to stir up good trouble and push for change at Chatham, in Pittsburgh, and beyond.
Stirring Up Good Trouble: MLK Commemoration Keynote and Q&A with Author Deesha Philyaw
Wednesday, January 20
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Deesha Philyaw is the author of the debut short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, which was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. She is also the author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce. Philyaw’s work has been listed as Notable in the Best American Essays series, and her writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Brevity, dead housekeeping, Apogee Journal, Catapult, Harvard Review, Ebony, and Bitch magazines, as well as various anthologies. She is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a past Pushcart Prize nominee for essay writing in Full Grown People. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
“A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.”
Stirring Up Good Trouble: The Role of White Aspiring Allies in Racial Justice and Activism Toward Change
Tuesday, January 26
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
In this panel, aspiring allies for racial justice will discuss the role of white allyship in "stirring up good trouble." How can the visions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and other civil rights pioneers inspire and lead allies to create actionable change? Panelists will also discuss their experience with working toward allyship.
JKM Library Virtual Display: Community Activism and Civil Rights
The JKM Library is honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual library display focused on Community Activism and Civil Rights. This display includes diction, nonfiction, memoir and biography eBooks; documentaries available for streaming; national, local, academic, and historical resources; podcasts, music, and more! Topics include Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King, and activism in general (including environmental activism, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and more). All content is accessible from home for Chatham Community members. This display will remain accessible yearlong.
Special thanks to the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, the Diversity & Inclusion Council, and the Office of Student Engagement for hosting these events. If you have questions, please contact odei@chatham.edu or studentengagement@chatham.edu.