Every year, Susquehanna marks the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong slate of events that bring together the campus and local community through learning, music and faith. MLK Week begins with Winter Convocation, which officially marks the start of the spring semester.
Winter Convocation is our premier event honoring Dr. King, and a guest speaker ties the legacy of the civil rights movement to current events. Past speakers and performers have included co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, LaTosha Brown, actor Bryan Terrell Clark, professional football player Michael Sam, journalist and human rights activist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, civil rights activist and author Mary Frances Berry and others.
Additionally, MLK Week includes a day of teaching, day of service and interfaith service that brings together students, faculty and staff of all faith backgrounds to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
2023 Guest Speaker: Autumn Rose Miskweminanocsqua Williams
Activist and former Miss Native American USA
Weber Chapel Auditorium
Monday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.
Miskweminanocsqua Williams was born and raised on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York. Being immersed in her culture from birth has given her pride in her Black and Indigenous heritage and is the foundation for the work she does today.
She has served the Administration for Native Americans to help champion issues related to Indigenous communities within the lower 48, Alaska and across the Pacific Region, including Hawaii, American Sāmoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Miskweminanocsqua Williams currently works for ICF Next as a multicultural communications specialist, advocating for the vast range of Native American communities. A former Miss Native American USA, she is a plus-size model, which allows her to face her body image issues head-on and amplify her message of self-love and empowerment.
Stretansky Concert Hall, Cunningham Center for Music and Art
This celebration brings together student speakers and community leaders from diverse religious, spiritual and secular traditions.
Justice and Belonging, A Day of Teaching: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023
Susquehanna University’s MLK Day of Teaching is an effort to model civil discourse and to promote the work of justice, affirming the rights of all to dignity, equity, and inclusion. The Day of Teaching is also meant to cultivate brave spaces: spaces in which conflict or disagreement can emerge but these moments are treated as opportunities to share authentically, listen actively, and engage respectfully without putting up harmful defenses, issuing dangerous generalizations, or creating us/them barriers that prevent learning. In accordance with the university’s statement on diversity and inclusiveness, we will include sessions that represent the breadth of human experiences and that demonstrate the critical awareness “of the ways power and privilege influence practices, processes, and relationships.” Each session is intended to be participatory and committed to fostering engagement and open dialogue.
8 a.m.
By Rabbi Nina Mandel, Director of Jewish Life | Hillel House
Over a breakfast of several “iconic” Jewish foods, we’ll discuss how communities adapt and adopt food-ways to both maintain their ethnic identities and fit into the dominant cultural food norms. This event will be held at the Hillel House. The breakfast provided will include vegetarian and vegan options.
By Peggy Peeler, Charles B. Degenstein professor of biology; Alissa Packer, associate professor of biology; and Antonio Rockwell, assistant professor of biology | Isaacs Auditorium, Seibert Hall
Some scientists have estimated that up to 60% of our health is linked to our zip code, not to our genetic code. Exposure to hazardous waste, air pollution and water contamination have well documented causative links to cancer, neurological problems, heart disease, chronic inflammatory conditions and other health issues. Yet many Americans live in places where their risk of exposure is much higher than other Americans, creating conditions referred to as environmental inequalities. This session will explore these issues, diving into the link between environment and health, as well as exploring the systemic reasons that lead to these inequalities, such as poverty and environmental racism.
By Naomi Niskala, associate professor of music; and An-Lin Bardin, cellist | Stretansky Concert Hall, Cunningham Center for Music and Art
The Bardin-Niskala Duo commissions ALAANA composers to write works for cello and piano that address ideas of belonging, community and identity. The only directive the duo gives composers is that their piece be based on a folk or children’s song of their heritage, upbringing or culture. The Bardin-Niskala Duo will share its three newest commissions alongside short videos the composers have recorded for the audience.
By Louie Land, adjunct faculty in communications; and Amber Watkin ’24 | Benjamin Apple Meeting Rooms 1-5, Charles B. Degenstein Campus Center
From the beginning, the American Western presented an exaggerated, stylized vision of a historical setting. Westerns often completely elide narratives about indigenous populations, Black Americans, Chinese immigrants, women, queer groups, and Mexican, Chicano, and Latino/Latina/Latinx populations, despite the presence of these groups in the historical time period. This crafty study and following conversation will attempt to understand the aesthetic project of centering once-omitted populations through careful examination of three significant revisionist Westerns: Percival Everett’s God’s Country (1994), Anna North’s Outlawed (2021), and Tom Lin’s The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu (2021).
1:15 p.m.
By María L. O. Muñoz, interim chief inclusion and diversity Officer and associate professor of history | Isaacs Auditorium, Seibert Hall
What does it mean to decolonize a curriculum in higher education? How is knowledge produced, organized and presented and by and for whom? This session seeks to generate conversations over what it means to decolonize a curriculum, specifically looking at the discipline of history and how we might do that in terms of course content and representation in primary and secondary sources.
By Naomi Niskala, associate professor of music; and An-Lin Bardin, cellist | Stretansky Concert Hall, Cunningham Center for Music and Art
The Bardin-Niskala Duo commissions ALAANA composers to write works for cello and piano that address ideas of belonging, community and identity. The only directive the duo gives composers is that their piece be based on a folk or children’s song of their heritage, upbringing or culture. The Bardin-Niskala Duo will share its three newest commissions alongside short videos the composers have recorded for the audience.
By Rachana Sachdev, associate professor of English; and Heather Lang, assistant professor of English | Benjamin Apple Meeting Rooms 1-5, Charles B. Degenstein Campus Center
This session will explore what accessible teaching looks like for today’s students. Given that most college teaching in the past has operated on ableist terms, and that the Americans with Disabilities Act has only slightly altered those practices, it is important to have open dialogue about what belonging and inclusion look like in the classroom. We hope to generate a lively discussion around accessible pedagogical practices that promote equity and social justice in the classroom.
3:15 p.m.
By Sharief Hashim, director of athletics | Stretansky Concert Hall, Cunningham Center for Music and Art
With a focus on athlete activism, this interactive session will explore the origins of activism through the civil rights era. Participants will gain knowledge and skills that are applicable throughout life and are truly timely with the global awakening regarding equity and social justice concerns.
By Christiana Paradis, director of Title IX compliance | Isaacs Auditorium, Seibert Hall
This presentation will encourage participants to think about their own unique definitions of justice and the various ways that violence prevention plays a critical role in anti-oppression work. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the four tiers of violence prevention and interactively brainstorm strategies to promote justice and belonging in a world free of violence.
Content warning: This presentation will infuse broad discussion about various forms of violence such as gun violence, sexual violence, domestic violence and homicide.
By Kate Hastings, associate professor of communications; and Amy Davis, assistant director of inclusion and diversity | Benjamin Apple Meeting Rooms 1-5, Charles B. Degenstein Campus Center
Research has shown that positive representation impacts self esteem and perceived opportunity for individuals, as well as transform public opinion and counteract bias. While minoritized groups are increasingly represented in media, we still have a long way to go to correct the erasure of many important stories. Here in the Susquehanna Valley, we are no exception. Contrary to well-known narratives of this area, people of color have a rich history in the Susquehanna Valley. This session will explore narratives and personal experiences from the past and present while highlighting the impact of historical erasure and the need for accurate representation in history books, media and beyond.
We seek a campus community that reflects the rich diversity of humanity with the full participation of those who represent the breadth of human differences.
