WMU Student Center Ballroom, Monday, Jan. 20

Noon to 12:30 p.m.—Welcome

Remarks by Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director; Dr. Cristobal Rodriguez, associate provost for equity-centered initiatives; and Dr. Karika Parker, Lewis Walker Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow, on the theme “MLK’s Blueprint for Justice. They will explore how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “Life Blueprint” speech can inspire individuals to critically address injustice and foster solidarity to protect civil and social liberties.

12:35 to 1:25 p.m.—Interview with an Activist

Panelists Dr. Don Cooney, associate professor of socail work and Kalamazoo City Commissioner; Dr. Dee Sherwood, director of the Native American Affairs Council; Dr. Frank Waln, Lakota Music Artist; and Olivia Gries, graduate student, will share personal experiences and practices of incorporating activism and social justice into their daily lives.

1:30 to 2:25 p.m.—Music with a message: Unpacking Songs of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director, and Dr. Brianne Pitts, assistant professor of teaching, learning and educational studies, explore songs between 1958-1963 that were powerful sources of resilience and healing for Black communities.

2:30 to 3:20 p.m.— Student demands for 2025: What are we asking for now?

This session will examine the 1968 demands of WMU’s Black Action Movement, which drove transformative change, and explore contemporary demands from young people for inclusion, respect and equity in institutions. Moderated by graduate student Mariana Montserrat Bringas-Acevedo with student panelists Asa Holling

Noon to 12:30 p.m.—Welcome

Remarks by Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director; Dr. Cristobal Rodriguez, associate provost for equity-centered initiatives; and Dr. Karika Parker, Lewis Walker Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow, on the theme “MLK’s Blueprint for Justice. They will explore how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “Life Blueprint” speech can inspire individuals to critically address injustice and foster solidarity to protect civil and social liberties.

12:35 to 1:25 p.m.—Interview with an Activist

Panelists Dr. Don Cooney, associate professor of socail work and Kalamazoo City Commissioner; Dr. Dee Sherwood, director of the Native American Affairs Council; Dr. Frank Waln, Lakota Music Artist; and Olivia Gries, graduate student, will share personal experiences and practices of incorporating activism and social justice into their daily lives.

1:30 to 2:25 p.m.—Music with a message: Unpacking Songs of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Lewis Walker Institute director, and Dr. Brianne Pitts, assistant professor of teaching, learning and educational studies, explore songs between 1958-1963 that were powerful sources of resilience and healing for Black communities.

2:30 to 3:20 p.m.— Student demands for 2025: What are we asking for now?

This session will examine the 1968 demands of WMU’s Black Action Movement, which drove transformative change, and explore contemporary demands from young people for inclusion, respect and equity in institutions. Moderated by graduate student Mariana Montserrat Bringas-Acevedo with student panelists Asa Hollingsworth, Alpha Phi Alpha president; Morgan Girl and Leiah Seawood, MLK Scholar.

Sponsor

This free and open event is sponsored by the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations.

sworth, Alpha Phi Alpha president, and Leiah Seawood, MLK Scholar.

Sponsor

This free and open event is sponsored by the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations.