Taylor Trimble, Staff Writer—

To highlight the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Denison University hosted its annual celebration this past week. The observance consisted of a weekend-long series of events that included a worship service, service project, march across campus, brunch, and several different workshops. 

This year, Denison’s Division of Student Life along with the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, composed of students, faculty, and administrators, chose to push forward the legacy of Dr. King through both service and art. In the morning, CLIC and the Denison Community Association (DCA) led four service projects. One station assembled hygiene kits for Newark Homeless Outreach and Buckeye Ranch while another station was dedicated to making blankets for the Hospice of Central Ohio and Newark Youth Advocate Program. The other two stations available to the Denisonians were letter writing to local nursing homes and painting inspiration rocks for Together We Grow Gardens. 

After service, Thomas Coffey and Tef Tewoldeberhan, members of both the Black Student Union and the Mystic Rho Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. led the MLK Legacy March, commemorating the life and work of Dr. King. From Slayter Flagpole to Mitchell Athletic Center, hundreds of students marched in appreciation of Dr. King’s societal contributions. 

Upon arrival at Mitchell Athletic Center, Denisonians were met with brunch along with several speakers and performers, including Dean Richard Brown, Dr. Nicole Ausmer, National Pan-Hellenic President Kwaku Akuffo, President Adam Weinberg, Tehillah, the Hilltoppers and special guest, Dr. Wilson Okello.   From speeches to poetry to music, Dr. King, his legacy, and his mission were present throughout the day.

After the brunch and variety of performances, Denisonians were able to go to workshops throughout the day. All workshops were focused on promoting the legacy of King through artistic mediums such as painting, poetry, music, and more. Some of the workshops included “Painting the Legacy,” and “Footsteps of the Freedom Journey,” which highlights the Black emancipatory experience through musical and theatrical vignettes. 

Andrew Hanson ’26, an Environmental Studies major from Atlanta, Georgia, explained the importance of acknowledging the breadth of Dr. King’s work – from fighting for gender equality to acting on behalf of marginalized groups other than Black individuals. Hanson explained that events like those held at Denison serve an important role, saying, “It’s important to have days like this to remind people that MLK was so much more than ‘I Have a Dream.'”

In the afternoon, storyteller, educator, and poet Dr. Wilson Okello gathered with a group of students in the Bandersnatch for a poetry workshop. It was titled “Writing the Legacy,” and focused on poetry as a vehicle for affirmation. It was described as “an invitation to practice freedom by giving voice to… imagination” by the hosts of the event. 

Dr. Okello is an Assistant Professor of Education (Higher Ed.) at Pennsylvania State University. As an artist and scholar, his work exists at the intersection of Blackness and student/early adult developmental theory. In the workshop, he featured quotes from Black authors such as Audre Lorde to highlight the necessity of poetry as a means of human expression. 

“I really enjoyed Dr. Okello’s emphasis on sensory experiences as a means of evoking deeper feelings and his philosophy that anyone can contribute valuable ideas to poetic brainstorms,” said Jess Cohen ‘25. The workshop took place at a single table as a means of collaboration among all those in attendance. Students and faculty members shared the ways poetry helps affirm their lived experiences, and to parse out what no longer serves them.

“I was pleased to be part of the workshop because, like me, Dr. Okello believes in ‘the power of storytelling and spoken word as a platform for education, liberation, and resilience (as noted on his website), BethAnn Zambella, Director of Libraries at Denison University, said. She further noted her excitement for the upcoming poetry slam “that the library is co-sponsoring with the English Department on March 23, 2023.

As the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration winded down, students, faculty, and administrators had the opportunity to individually or collectively reflect on Dr. King and his message and legacy over hot beverages and refreshments in the Center of Belonging and Inclusion. 

Looking back at the plethora of programming in dedication to Dr. King, it became glaringly clear that Denison University’s mission to “inspire and educate our students to become autonomous thinkers, discerning moral agents and active citizens of a democratic society” was well met throughout the entirety of the weekend.