Dear Unity College Colleagues,
As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day today, it is important to reflect on his legacy and the lasting impact he had on not just the United States, but the world. It is also important that we actively honor his legacy by modeling the values he lived by.
Like many of our students, Dr. King was a working adult when he finally completed his college career and earned his Ph.D. in 1955. He had to juggle completing his education with his career, his family, his home, and his passion to change the world. We, in 2022, are the benefactors of his passion to change the world through peaceful means. He was able to affect real, meaningful change which has led us to the better, yet imperfect society we live in today and his legacy is worthy of the honors it receives.
To me, the most important way Unity College can honor Dr. King’s legacy is through our commitment to a quality education that is affordable, accessible and flexible for all students. An education that ensures our graduates are culturally competent individuals with degrees anchored in the liberal arts and sciences. Because we, like him, believe that The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. Martin Luther King, Jr.
While we honor his legacy, we must also remember to celebrate it, specifically on this the third Monday of January, but also throughout the year. To that end, our Distance Education team has put together a great presentation on the history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy which can be viewed here and we encourage our faculty, staff and students to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by working to keep his dream alive through volunteering in service to others.
This year Hybrid Learning’s celebration includes both virtual and in-person activities. They include: a virtual tour of the National Civil Rights Museum at the site of the former Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. As well as an opportunity to learn the history behind the MLK Memorial in Washington, DC, and the option to take part in the American Visionary Art Museum Dare to Dream Poetry Slam and Open Mic where students can RSVP for the event and then create, submit and watch the videos Monday evening. Additionally there will be a live screening of 13th, a documentary by Ava DuVernay regarding the racial injustice embedded in America’s criminal justice system. The screening will take place on Monday, Jan. 17, in Founders Hall South 213, from 3-5pm. It will be followed by a discussion led by Josh Kercsmar, Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities.
I am so glad that our Distance Education and Hybrid Learning teams are presenting not just our students, but also our faculty and staff, with the opportunity to learn more about this great man, the movement he led and the change he realized both in his lifetime and beyond.
So as we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, 2022, Unity College reaffirms its commitment to reducing the barriers to an environmental education, making it more affordable, flexible and accessible to students from all walks of life. We will honor his legacy by continuing to engage underrepresented populations in an environmental education that is anchored in sustainability science so we can build resilient 21st century communities around the country and the world.
Happy First Day of Classes!
With Pride,
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
President, Unity College
