MLK event aims to bring community together

In memory of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 花季传媒 Southern will host a community discussion of 鈥淟etter from Birmingham Jail,鈥� on the anniversary of the Civil Rights leader鈥檚 death.

The event will be in-person at 6 p.m., Monday, April 4 in the Mains Rotunda. Light refreshments will be served.

Robert Pleasant, director of student services at OHIO Southern, said the event is not a lecture, rather a conversation to let people share their thoughts.

鈥淲e鈥檝e come a long way as a country, but when you read that letter, some of the things are still happening today,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to be willing to have these types of open, honest, respectful conversations. When you read the letter you get a glimpse of the past, but also the present. We still have some work to do.鈥�

During the event, participants will discuss their personal thoughts on the letter in small groups with trained facilitators.

The Rev. Sallie Schisler, vicar at Christ Episcopal Church and part of the organizing effort, said she sees this event as an opportunity to have an educational experience about racial injustice.

 鈥淲hether we think racism is a problem in our community or not, we should be talking about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the university is the perfect place for those kinds of conversations.鈥�

Registration is required. Upon registration, participants will receive a copy of 鈥淟etter from Birmingham Jail鈥� via email to read and reflect on before the event.

Dr. Teresa McKenzie, OHIO Southern鈥檚 accessibility and veterans services coordinator, said she hopes participants will find common ground.

鈥淒r. King once said, 鈥榃e are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.鈥� The common read of Dr. King鈥檚 鈥楲etter from Birmingham Jail鈥� will provide us an opportunity to create a tangible and real way for us meet, have conversations, and find those common threads,鈥� she said. 鈥淔inding those threads, those common threads, helps to create a connection that helps to break down those walls that divide us.鈥�

For more information about the event contact Pleasant at pleasanr@ohio.edu, McKenzie at mckenzt1@ohio.edu or Schisler at scschisler@aol.com.