91����Ƶ hosted its ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Monday, Jan. 19, featuring a series of events honoring the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader.

The theme of this year’s celebration was “Beyond the Dream: Social Justice and Ecological Consciousness,” and it focused on the message of Dr. King’s 1967 Christmas sermon, in which he preached about all life on Earth being interconnected. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,” he said.

Monday’s events began at 9:45 a.m. with a unity march inside the University Commons. 91����Ƶ two dozen students, faculty, and staff members held signs calling for peace and justice as they completed three laps around the indoor track. Each year, the unity march pays tribute to the many nonviolent marches led by Dr. King and others during the civil rights movement. 

The group of marchers proceeded to Lehman Auditorium, where members of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and other students shared quotes from Dr. King and reflected on his legacy during Speak Out. One quote that resonated deeply was: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Celeste Thomas, director of Multicultural Student Services at 91����Ƶ and chair of the committee planning the MLK Jr. celebration, said Dr. King imagined a world with community instead of chaos, love instead of hate, and no one going hungry. He imagined a world where families are not separated, where there are no food deserts and everyone has clean water, and where countries don’t bully one another for resources, she added. “Beloved community is sustainability for all mankind,” she said.

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections at 91����Ƶ, spoke about the theme of the day. “Going beyond the dream means understanding justice is not passive,” she said. “It requires participation, it requires responsibility, and that’s where you come in, 91����Ƶ students. You’re not on the sidelines of this work. You are already shaping the future of communities like Harrisonburg through the choices you make, the careers you pursue, the voices you raise, and the values you carry forward. Don’t just remember him, carry his dream forward.”

Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus spoke about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old who was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same. Dycus, who noted that Colvin passed away on Jan. 13, 2026, said the young activist had inspired her for many years. “Both King and Colvin teach us what justice and power look like in necessary ways,” Dycus said. “We gather not out of tradition, not because the calendar tells us to, but because we are committed to taking seriously the work of building equitable, compassionate, and just communities. This is who we are, not just what we do.”

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, an associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown University and a fellow at the Climate and Community Institute, served as the featured speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Convocation. He is the author of Elite Capture and Reconsidering Reparations, a contributor to Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book, and a past recipient of a Marguerite Casey Freedom Scholar fellowship. His presentation was titled “Becoming Firefighters: Climate Justice and the Fight for a Free World.”

He examined recent actions taken by the federal administration to seize oil assets in Venezuela and spoke about the political and economic power of fossil fuel companies. “The control those people and their allies have over our entire lives depends on the political power they wield and defend with the money they get destroying our air and water,” he said. 

Following the convocation, a ceremony on Thomas Plaza rededicated the 91����Ƶ Peace Pole with a vision for peace, justice, and shalom on Earth, including all living things (represented by a new plaque featuring animal prints). The Peace Pole was recently resealed and painted and has newly installed “May Peace Prevail on Earth” plaques. 

Throughout the day, the conference room inside the Student Life Suite transformed into an aromatherapy space, filled with the scents of soap and essential oils. Simone McKelvey, owner of the Simone & Tuesday skincare brand, led two interactive demonstrations, teaching students, faculty, and staff how to create their own soap from scratch using natural ingredients. “Your skin is your largest organ,” she said, “and a lot of the time, we don’t pay attention to what we put on it.”

Participants worked in pairs at eight slow cookers, melting coconut, sunflower, and castor oils, adding lye to distilled water, and mixing the concoction with a stick blender and essential oils to create bars of soap. “When you go to the store and visit the soap aisle, some of them are soap, but some of them aren’t,” McKelvey said. “Some are detergents made with synthetic chemicals. True soap is what you’re making today.”

The sound of knives chopping onions, horseradish, garlic, hot peppers, ginger, and other vegetables reverberated through the Old Common Grounds space on Monday as participants in two interactive workshops sliced and diced fresh, locally sourced, organic ingredients to create their own jars of fire cider. The apple cider vinegar-based tonic supports immunity and digestion and is packed with  antioxidants, antibacterials, and antimicrobials, making it an ideal remedy for the colder months. In about four weeks, the jars can be strained and used to enhance everything from seltzer water and salad dressing to collard greens, pickles, and hot toddies.

The demonstrations were led by the sister-owners of Kinfolk Farm, a Black women-led farm in rural West Virginia dedicated to nourishing the brilliance, creativity, and legacy of Black and Indigenous people of the Global Majority.

Scroll through a photo album of the day below!

Thanks to Multicultural Student Services, Student Life, and the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for planning the series of meaningful and educational events to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The morning kicked off with a unity march around the indoor track in University Commons. Students, faculty, staff and other community members held signs with messages of peace and justice.

During an open forum event called Speak Out, students and staff shared quotes from Dr. King that resonated with them and spoke to the theme of the day, “Radical Truth-telling.” Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services and chair of the committee planning the day’s events, said: “Silence is not always golden, and if the narrative is wrong, we need to correct it.”

The life of Dr. King is a special model for 91����Ƶ, explained President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman in her remarks at Convocation, as the university aspires to fulfill its vision.

“As we honor King’s legacy today, we underscore the ways our educational core values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and active faith intersect at 91����Ƶ as we form a discerning community of learners,” she said.

Huxman, who is retiring at the end of the 2024-25 academic year after having served nine years as 91����Ƶ’s ninth president and first woman president, was instrumental in working with Thomas to create a day of events at 91����Ƶ to commemorate Dr. King. During only her second year at 91����Ƶ, the inaugural MLK Jr. Celebration was approved as a “day on” for learning, education, and service. 

“At 91����Ƶ, we take the full day to commemorate, reflect, serve, and take inspiration from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Huxman said in her remarks. “We take the day off so we can take the day on. So, while there are no classes, there is lots of engaged learning going on. So, seize the day, 91����Ƶ Royals!”

“We take the day off so we can take the day on.”

91����Ƶ President Susan Schultz Huxman

The 91����Ƶ Gospel Choir, led by senior music major Kay Pettus and accompanied by Music Program Director Dr. David Berry on piano, performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “Every Praise” and Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday,” a song that celebrates King’s Jan. 15 birthday.

Jodie Geddes MA ’16, an international speaker on restorative justice, author, and advocate of racial healing and justice, served as keynote speaker for Convocation. She spoke about her work on a truth-telling project shining light on the 1919 massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, as well as her experiences at a reconciliation village in Rwanda that seeks to unite survivors and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. A video recording of Convocation is available to watch on the 91����Ƶ Facebook page .

In the MainStage Theater, 91����Ƶ History Professor Dr. Mark Sawin delivered a riveting presentation on the history of the family who lived in and operated the at  252 N. Mason St. in Harrisonburg. The five-bedroom, one-bathroom house was listed in several editions of The Green Book, a guide featuring businesses across the nation that welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow, until the early 1960s. The professor, who serves as the consulting historian for the house, used old photos found inside the home, interviews with neighbors, and clippings of archived Daily News-Record articles to weave together stories of the people who lived and stayed there. These days, the family of Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections at 91����Ƶ, own the property and are in the process of transitioning the ownership to a 501c3 nonprofit.

On Monday afternoon, conversation circles facilitated by the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) encouraged open dialogue and guided discussion about radical truth-telling. Geddes was on hand at the Studio Theater for a workshop (pictured above) that engaged in journaling, meditation, and therapeutic processes.

In the evening, students gathered at University Commons for a special event where they could make their own hair care products.

Coverage of the day from local media

• WHSV-TV:

• Daily News-Record:

The celebration, held on the Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus from Saturday, Jan. 13, to Monday, Jan. 15, is themed “Remember, Celebrate, Thrive.”

“We need to remember that a lot of people are standing on the shoulders of giants who came before us during the Civil Rights Movement,” said Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services at 91����Ƶ and chair of the committee planning the celebration. “We have to remember their sacrifice and all their hard work, but we also have to celebrate the accomplishments that came out of that. So, we celebrate what has been achieved and then stand on those shoulders so we can thrive as a community.”

A wide range of activities and events will honor the iconic civil rights leader:

Saturday, Jan. 13

11 a.m.-2 p.m. — Northeast Neighborhood tour: Monica Robinson, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, will lead a tour of the Northeast Neighborhood, a historic community built by and for African-Americans in Harrisonburg following the Civil War. 

Stops along the tour include the Bethel AME Church, with information about the neighboring Dallard-Newman House, and discussions and lunch provided at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center. Rides from 91����Ƶ will depart from the Black Lives Matter mural in front of the University Commons at 10:30 a.m. Registration is required to attend the tour, and is available online at emu.edu/mlk.

Sunday, Jan. 14

6 p.m. — Screening of Rustin: A biopic of Bayard Rustin, adviser to MLK and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, will be shown in the MainStage Theater on Sunday evening. The film, released in November, stars actor Colman Domingo as the title character and Chris Rock as activist Roy Wilkins. Rustin faced struggles not only because of his race, but also his sexuality as an openly gay Black man. 

“The Civil Rights Movement was a diverse movement of people from all spectrums of ethnicity, religion and sexuality,” Thomas said. 

A talk-back session after the screening will discuss the film (runtime: one hour, 46 minutes; rating: PG-13) and answer questions. 

Monday, Jan. 15

9:15 a.m. — Solidarity March: A silent march will proceed from the BLM mural outside University Commons to Lehman Auditorium to kick off Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

“Marches were what happened throughout the Movement,” Thomas said. “You had the March on Washington, the march between Selma and Montgomery, you had marches in Memphis, to show solidarity.” 

Students are invited to create posters in the Student Life office on Sunday night to display during the march.

“It’s a silent march, so that people are concentrating and reflecting on the movement and how it has supported them and how it affects them today,” Thomas said. 

9:30 a.m. — Speak Out: Following the march, 91����Ƶ students, faculty and staff and other community members are encouraged to share their thoughts, feelings, music, poetry and anything else supporting the celebration’s theme at Lehman Auditorium. 

“People will have an opportunity to come to the microphone and share in whichever way they want to share,” Thomas said. 

The event will wrap up with a preselected student monologue.

10 a.m. — Black & 25 in America: Playwright and actor Jeremy Gillett will perform his one-man show, Black & 25 in America, at Lehman Auditorium. The Kentucky native portrays five different characters in a series of vignettes about the lives of young Black people in America that explores the issues of race, class, gender and identity. 

A talk-back session will offer audience members a chance to engage with him after the performance. 

12:30 p.m. — Lunch at Northlawn Cafeteria: A special soul food-inspired menu will be served at the dining hall. “I want to give credit to Dining Services, Pioneer College Caterers, and to Food Service Director Shannon Grinnan for working with us on that special menu for the day,” Thomas said. Regular dining charges will apply for the lunch. 

2 p.m. — Convocation featuring the VUU Gospel Choir: Hailing from Richmond, the Virginia Union University Gospel Choir will perform at Lehman Auditorium. In October, the historically Black university invited the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers to perform on its stage with them and Grammy Award-winning artist Hezekiah Walker during a live recording. You can read more about the partnership between the two schools here. 

91����Ƶ Music Program Director David Berry will open Convocation with a medley, followed by remarks from 91����Ƶ President Susan Schultz Huxman, Thomas and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed. After a series of songs from the VUU Gospel Choir, the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers will join them for a performance of I Need You to Survive.

Those attending Convocation are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to donate for the food drive.

7 p.m. — There is a Field screening: A showing of the movie There is a Field inside the old Common Grounds space will round off the MLK Jr. Celebration on Monday evening. The movie mirrors the struggles of Palestinian activists in Israel with members of Black communities in the U.S. It will be followed by a talk-back session, cosponsored by Tim Seidel, Trina Nussbaum and the Center for Interfaith Engagement. This event has been postponed due to inclement weather

All events, other than the lunch on Monday, are free to attend. For more information about the performers and events, visit emu.edu/mlk. 

Thomas credited the 91����Ƶ Black Student Alliance and Tyler Goss, director for student engagement and leadership development, for their help.

“I think, if people come out,” Thomas said, “they’ll learn something not only about other people, but also about themselves.”

Okembe-RA Imani is chair and professor of the Department of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is also a veteran of more than 27 years of activism in Black nationalist and Pan-Africanist movements, dealing with race, class, gender, nationality, language and religion. He is ordained as a minister in both the Southern Baptist and African Orthodox churches and is also a consecrated African traditional priest of Amen-RA.

Okembe-RA Imani is the author of two books, The Agony of Education: Black Students at White Colleges and Universities (Routledge, 1996) and Head Games: De-Colonizing the Psychotherapeutic Process (University Press of America, 2010).

He previously taught sociology and Africana studies at James Madison University.

Schedule of events

Thursday, Jan. 15
8 p.m.: Movie and talk back – “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Common Grounds Coffeehouse)

Friday, Jan. 16
10-10:30 a.m.: Reading circles of MLK Jr. sermons and speeches. (Parkwoods Apartments Community Room, Cedarwood 2nd floor lounge, Northlawn Great Lounge, Campus Center Brunk Maust lounge, Seminary main lounge, Hartzler Library, Science Center rm. 104, University Commons student life lounge, Roselawn 200)

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Mix-it up at lunch. (Northlawn Dining Hall)

7-9 p.m.: Evening of service and visit to Tyrone Sprague’s barbershop. (Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, John Wesley United Methodist Church and Tyrone’s Barbershop) Vans depart from the University Commons main entrance at 6:30 p.m. To sign up for service, email Y-Serve or the Black Student Union at y-serve@emu.edu or emubsu1@gmail.com.

Saturday, Jan. 17
10 a.m. – 12 p.m., or 12-2 p.m.: Day of service and visit to Tyrone Sprague’s barbershop. (Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, John Wesley United Methodist Church, Blacks Run and Tyrone’s Barbershop) Vans depart from the University Commons main entrance at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. To sign up for service, email Y-Serve or the Black Student Union at y-serve@emu.edu or emubsu1@gmail.com.

Sunday, Jan. 18
11 a.m.: Community church service with Rev. Dr. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani. (Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 184 Kelley Street, Harrisonburg) Vans depart from the University Commons main entrance at 10:30 a.m.

1 p.m.: Community lunch for church attendees. (John Wesley United Methodist Church, 425 Effinger Street, Harrisonburg)

Monday, Jan. 19
9:50-10 a.m.: “One Dream” Solidarity March
10-10:40 a.m.: MLK, Jr. Celebration Chapel with Rev. Dr. Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani, the 91����Ƶ Gospel Choir and the Alpha Omega Dancers for Christ. (Lehman Auditorium)

10:45-11:30 a.m.: After chapel talk-back on dynamics of the prison industrial complex (Common Grounds Coffeehouse)

Tuesday, Jan. 20
7 p.m.: Food Drive for The Salvation Army, Our Community Place and Patchwork Pantry. Bring non-perishable food items to the men’s volleyball game at Yoder Arena in University Commons.

More info

Admission to all programs is free. For more information on activities related to Dr. King observances, or for a full schedule of events, visit emu.edu/mlk/ or call campus ministries at 540-432-4115.

“Events throughout the week will focus on the MLK Jr. way of emphasizing issues of justice, pacifism, Christian faith, activism and service, and relationship building,” said Brian Martin Burkholder, campus pastor at 91����Ƶ.

will join with area leaders in the renaming and dedication of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, formerly Cantrell Avenue, on Monday, Jan. 20, at noon.

Additional programs include presentations by , professor of history, and , professor of history and mission at , discussion forums and many community gatherings.

All events are free and open to the public. Those interested in attending should meet at the event location.

Wednesday, Jan. 15

10-10:30 a.m. University Chapel: “Shaped Deeply by MLK, Jr.”

In what ways was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. formative or influential in the lives of local people? What is the impact of MLK Jr. in today’s society? For what reasons was it important for Harrisonburg to rename a significant street the Martin Luther King Jr. Way? Come hear first-person narratives from local persons who have been shaped by MLK, Jr.

Stan Maclin, director of the Harriott Tubman Cultural Center, and Titus Bender, professor emeritus, will be the panelists.

Location: Lehman Auditorium on the campus of 91����Ƶ.

Thursday, Jan. 16

4-6 p.m. March Out and Speak Out at James Madison University (JMU)

March through the JMU campus and speak out about King’s life and legacy. This year’s theme is “His courage will not skip this generation.” Sponsored by the .

Location: Starts at the James Madison statue near Varner House and ends at Transitions, Warren Hall.

Information: Call 540-568-6636 or visit

Friday, Jan. 17

10-10:30 a.m. 91����Ƶ University Chapel: “Take the First Step in Faith: A History of Inclusion” by Mark Metzler Sawin, PhD.

Location: Lehman Auditorium

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Mix it Up at Lunch conversations

Choose to sit at one of the round tables with a mixture of people from the campus and community for guided conversation related to 91����Ƶ’s racial heritage as presented in chapel. Meal passes available for participating community members and for students without a meal plan.

Coordinated by Beth Lehman, PhD, and Kathy Evans, PhD, professors in the 91����Ƶ education department.

Location: Northlawn cafeteria on the campus of 91����Ƶ. and – Dining Hall located in lower level; view available visitors’ parking by clicking display option on lower left.

Sunday, Jan. 19

Worship in local congregations in the Harrisonburg Northeast Neighborhood

– at 9:15 a.m. Buses depart from 91����Ƶ University Commons parking lot at 10 a.m.

Location: 400 Kelley St., Harrisonburg, Va. 22802

– at 11 a.m. Buses depart from 91����Ƶ University Commons parking lot at 10:30 a.m.

Location: Corner of Effinger and Sterling, Harrisonburg, Va. 22802

– at 11 a.m. Buses depart 91����Ƶ University Commons parking lot at 10:30 a.m.

Location: 184 Kelley St., Harrisonburg, Va. 22802

– Church of God of Prophecy at 12:30 p.m. Buses depart 91����Ƶ University Commons parking lot at noon.

Location: 386 E Gay St., Harrisonburg, Va. 22802

3 p.m. Serving the Community Dr. King’s Way

Join the Harrisonburg and Rockingham Chapter of the NAACP for its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. community program with guest speaker Pastor Warne Dawkins from Shiloh Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Va. Music by the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition Choir. Freewill offering benefiting The Salvation Army shelter. Transportation is provided. Buses will depart 91����Ƶ University Commons parking lot at 2:30 p.m., and return at 5 p.m.

Location: Lucy Simms Continuing Education Center

Monday, Jan. 20

8 a.m. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast program

The Sigma Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. hosts “Back to Basics: Managing a Household Budget.” Continental breakfast provided. Donations accepted.

Location: Lucy Simms Continuing Education Center

10-10:40 a.m. MLK Jr. Day Chapel: “A Domesticated King” by David Evans, PhD. An after-chapel discussion forum will follow.

Location: Lehman Auditorium

12 p.m. City of Harrisonburg MLK, Jr. Way Street Renaming Dedication Program

President Swartzendruber is one of the speakers at this event hosted by the City of Harrisonburg. Transportation is provided. Buses depart from 91����Ƶ library circle at 11:30 a.m., and return at 1:30 p.m., for those who do not want to stay for the ribbon cutting and unity march. They will also return to pick up those who do wish to stay for ribbon cutting and march.

Location: JMU’s Memorial Hall Auditorium

1:30 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony by Harrisonburg City Council followed by a unity march from Memorial Hall to Main Street and back to Memorial Hall. Hot chocolate and rest available at the .

Location: Meet outside JMU Memorial Hall

3 p.m. Adopt a Stream, Black’s Run clean-up

Join the 91����Ƶ and departments and club to clean up a stretch of Black’s Run that flows through the northeast neighborhood. Gloves and bags will be provided.

Location: Meet at the Science Center at 2:45 p.m. for carpooling or anytime just outside at 621 N. Main Street, Harrisonburg.

7-9 p.m. MLK Lecture by Dr. Steve Perry

Dr. Steve Perry is the 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. formal program speaker. Featured in CNN’s “Black in America” series, Perry is the founder and principal of in Hartford, Conn. Capital Prep has sent 100 percent of its predominantly low-income, minority, first generation high-school graduates to four-year colleges every year since its first class graduated in 2006.

Perry is an education contributor for CNN and MSNBC, an Essence magazine columnist, bestselling author and host of the No. 1 docudrama for TVONE, “Save My Son.”

Sponsored by the JMU Center for Multicultural Student Services.

Location: JMU Wilson Hall Auditorium

Tuesday, Jan. 21

All day – Come Across the Bridge dialogue

Engage with black community leaders, barbers and each other for lively dialogue around issues, dynamics and opportunities related to the MLK, Jr. Way at Tyrone Sprague’s downtown barbershop (6th floor of 2 South Main Street) and at the historic Blakey barbershop in the northeast neighborhood (230 Community Street). You can get a haircut too!

Hosts: Stan Maclin of the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center and Jered Lyons, 91����Ƶ multicultural student advisor.

Thursday, Jan. 23

8 p.m. follow-up conversation/discussion – “The Way of MLK, Jr. – What’s Next?”

Coordinated by Amy Knorr, practice coordinator for the .

Location: Common Grounds Coffeehouse on the first floor of 91����Ƶ’s University Commons.

More info

Admission to all programs is free. For more information on activities related to MLK observances, or for a full schedule of events, visit the or call at 540-432-4115.