AARON SKUBBY, Editor-in-Chief—
On a snowy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, bodies filled Swasey Chapel to hear keynote speaker Reverend Dr. Victor Anderson’s talk titled “Between King’s Arch of Justice and the World House: How Shall We Then Live?”
Recommended by Black Studies professor Dr. Terrance Dean, Rev. Dr. Anderson spoke of American Public Theology, the loss of a common social faith, and the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr.; particularly the arc of justice, the world house, and the love community.
Dr. Anderson’s talk was part of a series of celebrations planned by the MLK Committee, comprised by Micah Arnold ‘22, Dashn White ‘22, and Na’Maya Perry ‘22.
The celebration opened with music from Denison’s own Rev. Timothy Carpenter, and a welcome from Dashn.
“I might argue that it was destiny for me to be giving this speech, right here at this moment,” he said. “At 16 years old, I was a junior in high school and I wanted a tattoo. Reluctantly, my mother agreed only if it had significant meaning.”
“I thought about this for weeks and weeks on end. I wanted something with meaning, something with value, something with a message. I came across a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The quote goes like this: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ Those exact words are tattooed across the left side of my chest,” he said.
Dashn’s words were followed by remarks from President Adam Weinberg, who talked about Denison’s commitment to antiracism, and a prayer from Desmond Tutu, recited by Rev. Stephanie McLemore.
The keynote address was only part of the day’s schedule – there was also a march in the morning to honor Dr. King’s legacy, and evening events held by student organizations in Slayter Union.
The planning for the event was thanks to the hard work of the three seniors on the planning committee, whose efforts began as far back as October and November of 2021.
Committee member Micah Arnold explained that he was first contacted to be on the committee by Vice President Raj Bellani.
“Being a part of Alpha Phi Alpha, and Martin Luther King being part of the same fraternity as me, I felt kind of obligated, and I was proud to do it. So I signed up,” he said.
The MLK Committee was given a lot of control over what sorts of events to hold for the day. “They really wanted us to have some programming where students were involved,” Arnold said.
While each year’s celebration features a keynote speaker, the Legacy March, t-shirts and student organization events occurred thanks to the efforts of White, Arnold, and Perry.
“I knew [Na’Maya and Dashn] beforehand, so it was nice to see people that I knew. They are both also campus leaders, and I think Na’Maya and Dashn were very helpful in coming up with creative ideas,” Arnold said.
Reflecting on the events, Arnold said: “The march went really well. I was hoping that the Chapel would look a lot more filled, that’s why they had students on the committee.”
Some sports teams or other campus organizations required students to attend the keynote address. Though Arnold felt that requiring people to attend could be “somewhat problematic,” he still sees the value in requiring students to attend events.
“I’ve had moments where I didn’t want to do something, and I sat back and thought ‘that was actually pretty beneficial,’ I at least hope that happens. Sometimes you need the extra push to actually come together and learn something,” he said.