Centenary sets events for 2021 Dream Week
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College students, faculty, and staff will celebrate the legacy and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the College’s 2021 Dream Week. The 2021 Dream Week theme, “Becoming the Beloved Community,” references an important element in King’s vision for the work undertaken by the civil rights movement, expressed in a speech at the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, “…the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community.”
Beginning with the MLK Silent March, on Sunday, January 17, the week continues with the annual MLK Service Day on Monday, January 18, and a full schedule of educational and cultural events. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Dream Week 2021 events are open only to Centenary community members, although several events will be available via livestream or Zoom. Centenary students can earn Passport Points at most events. The full schedule is available below and at centenary.edu/dreamweek.
“Dream Week 2021 makes available programing that seeks to provide reflection, contemplation, and action for individuals who partake in these events,” said Kaylan Walker, director of community engagement at Centenary. “As participants from diverse backgrounds join together for this annual celebration, the aim is to capture the spirit of Dr. King's "beloved community."
Sunday, January 17, 2:00 p.m.
MLK Silent March
Hargrove Memorial Amphitheatre (The Shell)
Centenary’s Black Student Union is sponsoring a solidarity walk around the campus perimeter. The March will conclude with a silent stand (two minutes) on the sidewalk facing East Kings. A light lunch or refreshments will be provided after the event.
Monday, January 18, 8:15 a.m.
Annual MLK Service Day
Smith Building (Registration)/The Fit (service events)
Projects include writing advocacy letters to local, state, and national officials, compiling Dream Week notes for local senior citizens residing in nursing facilities, and working in the Centenary Community Garden.
Online registration is available at centenary.edu/dreamweek.
50 Passport Points
Tuesday, January 19, 11:15 a.m.
MLK Convocation
Brown Chapel and via livestream
Speaker: Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church
75 Passport Points
Webinar with Stephen Pitters ’71, 7:00 p.m.
Register via Engage
Online poetry reading followed by a Q & A with Centenary graduate Stephen Pitters. Facilitated by Chris Brown ’01, College Archivist.
Visit centenary.edu/dreamweek to register.
Sponsored by the Attaway Professorships in Civic Culture.
50 Passport Points
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 p.m.
Film Screening: King in the Wilderness
Whited Room
King in the Wilderness is an American documentary film about Martin Luther King Jr. which focuses on the final eighteen months of his life leading up to his assassination on April 4, 1968.
Register via Engage; 32 spots available.
50 Passport Points
Thursday, January 21, 11:15 a.m.
MLK Alumni Convocation Webinar
Via Zoom (ID: 963 9757 6567)
Webinar with Patricia Matthew '91, Ph.D., followed by Q & A facilitated by Jefferson Hendricks '75, Ph.D.
Dr. Matthew teaches courses in British Romanticism, the history of the novel, and British abolitionist literature at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Her work on diversity has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. In addition to essays on race and popular culture, she is currently writing a monograph about sugar, gender, and British abolitionist literature.
Co-sponsored by the Attaway Professorships in Civic Culture
75 Passport Points
Becoming the Beloved Community: Healing from Within Webinar, 5:00 p.m.
Via Zoom (ID: 980 0877 6126)
Webinar with Dr. Stacia’ Alexander, executive director of Positive Influences.
This past academic year, college students have been at the forefront of racial injustice; fighting centuries of oppression without the proper tools to protect themselves and their community members. Dr. Stacia' Alexander facilitates a challenging conversation regarding the emotionality of success and how students can balance social activism while protecting their emotional well-being.
Co-Sponsored by Centenary Career Services
50 Passport Points
Friday, January 22, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
“Express Yourself”
Caf Deck (Rain location: SUB)
A moment for students, faculty, and staff to share their thoughts regarding the Dream Week theme: “Becoming the Beloved Community.”
Sponsored by the Multicultural Student Association