Hosted by Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services and CoachLink coach, and Micah Shristi, director of international student services, the ceremony featured a musical drum performance led by Makinto and his son, Joël Friebe-Makinto.

Since 2016, the ceremony has celebrated graduates who honor their African and international roots. Each receives a handwoven stole of kente cloth, a symbol of prestige in many African societies, or a satin sash featuring the flags of countries they feel connected to.

Sashes at Saturday’s ceremony bore the flags of Albania, Argentina, Barbados, Burkina Faso, the Cherokee Nation, China, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iceland, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Oromia, Palestine, Peru, Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Sudan, and Uruguay.

Class of 2026 graduates take part in Saturday’s Donning of the Kente Ceremony in 91����Ƶ’s MainStage Theater.

Joël Friebe-Makinto (left) honors his father, Makinto. Celeste Thomas (right) welcomes attendees to the ceremony.

The ceremony celebrates achievement, encourages recipients to continue striving for excellence, and provides an intimate end-of-year experience. Each recipient selected a family member, friend, mentor, administrator, or faculty or staff member to place the stole or sash around their neck and offer remarks, sharing joyful and heartfelt stories and words of praise about each graduate.

Graduates wore the stoles and sashes at Commencement to honor their collective heritage and reflect on shared struggles and successes.

“Our hope is that they feel the support of their village,” Thomas said. “Additionally, we hope the ceremony signals the college’s desire to meet the needs of all its students.”

Micah Shristi honors a graduate during the ceremony.

Since 2016, the ceremony has celebrated graduates who honor their African and international roots.

Participants

The following graduates were recognized:

Makinto, a general theological certificate major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Mukarabe Makinto Inandava and Joël Friebe-Makinto.��

“You’re a clear example of how, no matter your age or where you are in life, you can accomplish anything,” Friebe-Makinto told his father. “You are a continuous inspiration for me and someone I can always look to for guidance.”

Esdras Burgos, accounting and business administration major from Charlottesville, Virginia, was donned by M. Esther Showalter.

Arelys Martinez Fabian, a Spanish language & Hispanic studies and education (PreK–12) licensure from Winchester, Virginia, was donned by M. Esther Showalter.

Zazkia De la Vega, a marketing and business administration major from Cusco, Peru, was donned by M. Esther Showalter. 

Ankita Adhikari, a computer science major from Pokhara, Nepal, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Donovan Arnason, a digital media, photography, and design major from Stafford, Virginia, was donned by Phyllis Braxton Arnason.

Elili Asefa, a nursing major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was donned by Baati Ayana.

Irais Barrera Pinzon, a political science, Spanish language and Hispanic studies major from Richmond, Virginia, was donned by Wendell Shank.

Mimi Bayongwa, a social work major from Riverdale, Maryland, was donned by Dia Mekonnen and Perpetue Kaimba. 

Lemi Amanuel Bekele, a biochemistry major from Kansas City, Missouri, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Shristi recalled receiving an email from Bekele, who was waiting for his admissions decision in 2019. “He sent me the following email, and I quote: ‘Please answer me. To wait for your answer I am in the forest in a tree to get data and it’s too dark and cold,’” Shristi read aloud. “That same determination carried Lemi through his years at 91����Ƶ.”

Jean Betancourt, a business administration major from Meridian, Mississippi, was donned by Angel Betancourt.

Nia Boyd, an art and writing studies major from Richmond, Virginia, was donned by Lenice Sudds.

Kylik Daquan Bradshaw, a liberal arts major from Crewe, Virginia, was donned by De’Andra Oliver, Te’Ahra Oliver, Theron Oliver, and Kayanna Bradshaw.

“Through every season, you have shown resilience, courage, and determination beyond your years,” Bradshaw’s mother said. “But your greatest gift has always been your heart, your love, your loyalty, and your strength. Even when you were challenged with difficulties, you never let it break you.”

Chase Comer, a political science and history major from Timberville, Virginia, was donned by Amy Miller.

Ruach Dhieu Ruach Deng, a computer science major from Bor, South Sudan, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Odesa Elezi, a nursing major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Luis Elezi.

Jasmin Escamilla Ruiz, a digital media, photography, and design major from Bluemont, Virginia, was donned by Irma Ruiz Ramirez. 

LaToya Fernandez, an MA in restorative justice major from West Hartford, Connecticut, was donned by Lyric Bryant.

Genesis Figueroa, a political science, Spanish language and Hispanic studies major from Millersburg, Ohio, was donned by Mia Figueroa.

Leah Frankenfield, a psychology major from Moraga, California, was donned by Rachel Tusing.

Sofia Garcia Pini, an MA in restorative justice major from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was donned by Joe Cole.

Jamila Gaskins, an MA in conflict transformation major from Los Angeles, was donned by David Evans.

Emily Guin, a nursing major from Lovettsville, Virginia, was donned by Juan Guin.

Jacqueline Jackson, a nursing major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Jacqueline Badger-Jackson.

Jayda Lenae Jones, a social work major from Goodview, Virginia, was donned by Kim Jones.

Yohanna Kebede, a computer science major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was donned by Haweni Tolosa.

Emae Klompenhouwer, a social work major from Newport News, Virginia, was donned by Remco Klompenhouwer.

Ramata Lam, a biomedicine major from Baltimore, was donned by Kaitlyn Upshaw.

Mallery Salemah McShine, an MA in restorative justice major from Fredericksburg, Virginia, was donned by LaToya Fernandez.

Dia Mekonnen, a social work and political science major from Silver Spring, Maryland, was donned by Deanna Reed.

Abraham Mekonnen, a computer science major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Noel Abeje. 

Last summer, Mekonnen interned at Morgan Stanley in New York City. This summer, he is headed to Northern California, where he will work for Palo Alto Networks. “How many people can say they’re hopping from Wall Street to Silicon Valley at 23 years old?” his close friend Abeje said. “Here’s the thing about Abraham: when the rest of us go to a mall, we typically just shop. Abraham asks the storekeepers how much they made that week and whether they’d recommend entering the industry. He’s constantly studying the world, ambitious, resilient, and relentlessly curious.”

Fadi William Michael, a marketing major from Bethlehem, State of Palestine, was donned by Jim Leaman.

Diego Morales Torres, a computer science major from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was donned by Team Oosthuizen.

Zipola Nayituriki, a social work major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Mary Ann Zehr.

Tasia Ocaranza, an MA in education major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Kathy Evans.

Taylor Helenna Parker, a digital media, photography, and design major from Charlottesville, Virginia, was donned by Mikaela Brooks Fauver.

Royale M. Parker, a business administration and psychology major from San Bernardino County, California, was donned by Ruby Parker and Roy Parker.

Jennifer Perera, an MS in biomedicine major from Miami, was donned by Jose Perera.

Robyn Chardaé Pratt, an MA in education major from Newport News, Virginia, was donned by Sandra Pratt.

Sarah Prroj, a business administration major from Shkoder, Albania, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Sharon Salinas Morales, a restorative justice in education major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Andrew Claassen.

Jacob Sankara, an MA in conflict transformation major from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was donned by Gloria Rhodes.

Roumany Sefin, a business administration and medical lab science major from Port Said, Egypt, was donned by Jim Leaman.

Zoe Seifu, a nursing major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Nati Seifu.

Anisa Yousef Sharhabeel, a business administration major from Rockingham, Virginia, was donned by Rita Tutu.

Shayleigh Michelle Sims, a biology and secondary education (6-12) licensure major from Palmyra, Virginia, was donned by Kathy Evans.

Emily Suarez Nunez, a nursing major from McGaheysville, Virginia, was donned by Silvana Nunez.

Guadalupe Tenorio Ramirez, an accounting and business administration major from Hopewell, Virginia, was donned by Lindy Backues.

Cheylan Ury, a psychology major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Shaion Ury.

Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus poses with Class of 2026 graduate Emily Suarez Nunez following the ceremony (left). Alumni returned to campus on Saturday to honor friends at the ceremony (right).

“We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together,” Shristi said in his closing remarks. “What a beautiful space.”

The Donning of the Kente Ceremony is sponsored by Multicultural Student Services, International Student Services, and the Black Student Alliance.

Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!

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 cultural ceremony celebrates graduates who recognize their African and international roots. Each graduate receives a handwoven stole of Kente cloth, a symbol of prestige in many African societies, or a satin sash with flags from the countries they feel a connection to. 

Sashes bore the flags of countries including Afghanistan, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, and Sudan.

The ceremony recognizes and rewards achievement, encourages recipients to continue striving for excellence, and provides an intimate end-of-the-year experience. Each recipient chose a family member, friend, mentor, administrator, faculty or staff member to place the stole or sash around their neck during the ceremony and speak about them. Those speakers shared joyful and heartfelt stories and words of praise about each graduate—at times bursting into laughter and, at others, holding back tears.

Graduates wore the stoles and sashes at Commencement for inspiration and to honor, celebrate, connect, and reflect on their collective heritage and communal struggles and successes.

Hosts of the ceremony were Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services, and Micah Shristi, director of international student services. 

The following graduates were recognized:

Yishake Abate, donned by Micah Shristi;

Ruth Abera, donned by Shannon Dycus;

Bethel Abiy, donned by Hellena Gebremedhin;

Elphas Andudu Adam Elnail, donned by Evans Adam Elnail;

Ariam Yonas Addisu, donned by Carlin Kreider;

Epherem Yoseph Amare, donned by Ephrata Amare;

Asmait Asgedom, donned by Deanna Durham;

Sha’Dymon Blanton, donned by Floria Hicks and Laurette Tucker;

Amber Bonds, donned by Jacqueline D. Bonds and Nathan L. Bonds;

Réka Bordás-Simon, donned by Gloria Rhodes;

Maru Dorothy Chepchirchir, donned by Valentine Jemutai;

Jailyn Diaz, donned by Martha Delgado and Julio Diaz;

Chidubem Ekoh, donned by Ndidi Ekoh;

Addi Fowler, donned by Jaqueline Fowler;

Karim-Ja’Quan Frazier, donned by Stacey Gibson;

Hellena Gebremedhin, donned by Rebecca Tezazu;

Denait Gebretsadik, donned by Tsegay Berhe, Marta Gebretsadik, and Saba Gebretsadik;

Emanuel Assegid Habte, donned by Hasset Dagnew;

Sulaiman Hashimi, donned by Jim Leaman;

Adesola Jessica Johnson, donned by Dayspring Johnson;

Erika Lopez, donned by Molly Ford;

ML Lormejuste, donned by Royale Parker;

Nicole Marie Mayorga Quintanilla, donned by Gerardo Mayorga and Lourdes Quintanilla;

Frehiwot Mekonnen, donned by Abraham Mekonnen;

Aneisha Emerlyn Moore, donned by Adesola Jessica Johnson;

Damon Morgan, donned by Sheila Morgan;

Cristal Narciso, donned by Mikaela Brooks Fauver;

Mikayla Pettus, donned by Celeste Thomas;

Cecilia Gabriela Rafael Castelan, donned by Susana Castelan and Norberto Rafael;  

Brii Redfearn, donned by Jonathan Swartz;

Marciella Vania Shallomita, donned by Brian Martin Burkholder;

Getachew GebreKiros Temare, donned by Gloria Rhodes;

Rebecca Tezazu, donned by Hellena Gebremedhin;

Riya Tingwa, donned by Karen Farias;

Chuck Tirtasaputra, donned by Melkysedek Tirtasaputra;

Rita Abden Saleh Toto, donned by Grace Toto;

Aixa Mariola Warren, donned by Judy Hiett; and

Fiker Yigzaw, donned by Timothy Seidel.

The Donning of the Kente Ceremony is sponsored by Multicultural Student Services, International Student Services, and the Black Student Alliance.

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:

This story has been updated to reflect the change in venue for the soul food dinner on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Dinner + Theatre

The signature event of Black History Month will feature a dinner and theatre show on Thursday, Feb. 15. 

A soul food dinner will be held in the President’s Reception Room in University Commons starting at 5 p.m. (The same meal will be served in the dining hall for dinner that day). Then, at 6:30 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium, showgoers will be treated to – Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance performed by the . The music theatre work celebrates three great African American poets: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay, as seen through the eyes of renowned painter and muralist Aaron Douglas.

Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services at 91����Ƶ, said patrons can expect to hear jazz from the Harlem Renaissance, a pivotal cultural and artistic movement in the 1920s and ‘30s.

“It will be a night where people can dress up and have a nice meal and go to the performance,” she said.

The artists who make up the Core Ensemble group performing the show are cellist Syneva Colle, 91����Ƶ Music Program Director and pianist David Berry, percussionist Michael Parola and actor Dracyn Blount.

Berry, who toured with the group for years when he lived in New York City before coming to 91����Ƶ, said he was excited to help bring them to campus.

“Of Ebony Embers is a powerful one-person show that delves into the lives of several figures from the Harlem Renaissance while capturing the spirit of the era with live music from the time,” said Berry. “Dracyn Blount is a terrific actor and captures the heart of the different artists he portrays beautifully”

Tickets for the combined dinner and theatre show are $30 for faculty, staff and the public and $10 for students. Tickets for the theatre show only are $10 for faculty, staff and the public and free for students.

Tickets can be purchased online by scanning the QR code above through Tuesday, Feb. 13.

In addition to Multicultural Student Services, the event is co-sponsored by the Music Department, Theatre Department and with partial funding from a DEI Inclusive Excellence grant.

Gospel Choir

Just in time for Black History Month, the 91����Ƶ Gospel Choir is getting a reboot.

The Gospel Choir will makes its debut performance at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4, during Celebration Student-led Worship in Lehman Auditorium. The group will perform a half-dozen songs and share the history of gospel music. The choir is led by 91����Ƶ student Mikayla Pettus and will be accompanied by Berry on piano.

The Gospel Choir also will perform a song each for Convocation on Wednesday, Feb. 7 (accompanied by the Rev. Timothy Dorsey), and on Wednesday, Feb. 21 (accompanied by Berry), at 10:10 a.m. in Lehman Auditorium.

Pettus said the Gospel Choir is a diverse set of students, and includes chamber choir members, athletes and people from all types of backgrounds. Some of the members have grown up in a choir, while others have never sung before. 

Part of the reason to bring back the Gospel Choir, she said, was to diversify music for students and for convocations to feature a different type of music.

“A lot of Black students wanted an outlet to sing gospel music songs and have worship in their own way, and we welcome everyone to join and worship with us,” Pettus said.

Washington, D.C., trip

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, the Multicultural Student Services office will sponsor a bus trip to Washington, D.C. 

Those on the trip will visit the:

• National Museum of African American History and Culture;
• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial;
• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library;  
• and the National Portrait Gallery, which recently unveiled a portrait of TV star Oprah Winfrey.

All events, except for the D.C. bus tour trip, are open to the public.

For more information, visit or contact Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services, at celeste.thomas@emu.edu.

The event, which has been held since 2019, honors the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. This year’s theme was “Remember, Celebrate, Thrive” and featured a tour of the Northeast Neighborhood on Saturday, a movie screening of Rustin on Sunday, and a full slate of activities on Monday, which are recapped below.

Convocation featuring the Virginia Union University Gospel Choir

The Virginia Union University Gospel Choir, which hosted the 91����Ƶ Chamber Singers at its Richmond campus in October (read about that here), traveled to Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Monday to perform a series of songs for Convocation. VUU Choir Director Joel Lester led 13 members of the group in seven soulful and spirited songs that had many in the Lehman Auditorium pews dancing and clapping along. The Chamber Singers joined the VUU Gospel Choir on stage for a performance of “I Need You to Survive” to close out the concert.

In her opening remarks, Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed asked the crowd how they would continue to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King after the holiday passes.

“How will we thrive, especially during a time of unrest and division?” asked Reed, who is 91����Ƶ’s regional advancement director. “How will we thrive when many of us believe that, as a nation, we are not moving in the direction of peace, justice and equality? How will we thrive when old wounds and racist ways of thinking have reared their evil head? I believe Dr. King would say, ‘We thrive when we stand. We thrive when we break the silence. We thrive when we are caught up with what is right and willing to sacrifice for it.'”

In addition to Reed, city council members Chris Jones and Dany Fleming, as well as members of the local press, were in attendance. Read the Daily News-Record‘s front-page coverage of the event . A video recording of Convocation is available to watch on the 91����Ƶ Facebook page .

Solidarity March

A group of about 20 demonstrators during Monday morning’s Solidarity March left an impression on the snow-covered campus — in more ways than one — as they looped around the University Commons track and marched across the grounds to Lehman Auditorium. Carrying posters reading “Keep marching,” “My hope is Black students will thrive on campus — not just survive” and “Free! At last!” the marchers reflected on the sacrifices made during the Civil Rights Movement and called for further work to promote racial equity.

Speak Out

At Speak Out, an open mic-styled event that offered an opportunity to share thoughts and feelings about the day, participants recited poems and read from speeches given by Martin Luther King Jr.

91����Ƶ junior Mikayla Pettus (pictured in the top photo) delivered a riveting performance about having a mixed-race identity. As she simulated herself getting ready for the day, putting on makeup and getting her hair ready, a recording of some of the offensive things people might say to someone who is mixed-race played over the speakers. A video recording of Speak Out is available to watch on the 91����Ƶ Facebook page .

‘Black & 25 in America’

Playwright and actor Jeremy Gillett performed his one-man show, Black & 25 in America, at Lehman on Monday. The play features five different characters in a series of vignettes about the lives of young Black people in America. Gillett effortlessly transformed into each character, adopting the mannerisms and colloquialisms of five starkly different identities, including a high school football star trapped in a house of crack cocaine dealers, a “brown kid from the suburbs” who resembled Theo Huxtable, and a gay Black man struggling with his sexual orientation.

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.”

Maggie Worku ’07 – Ethiopian native, Transamerica executive and entrepreneur – is a part of this new history. She often hosts prospective recruits, conducts training sessions, and meets clients in one of the many work spaces or the dining area. The views from the wall-to-wall windows are stunning, useful for both inspiration and distraction. Her favorite looks southeast – “I think,” she says: “I get turned around in here.” Known city-wide for its business networking opportunities, time at the club is always well-spent.

From an early age, Worku was exposed to the business world. Her father, a civil engineer, and her mother managed businesses in construction and import/export in Ethiopia. Her brother Yohannes ’07, with whom she came to Lancaster Mennonite School (LMS) and then on to 91����Ƶ, is now a regional vice president at Transamerica. One younger sister is a civil engineer completing doctoral studies and teaching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the youngest travels Africa as a sourcing director for Diageo based out of Nairobi, Kenya.

It was Yohannes who urged her to consider working in insurance after she struggled to find her professional niche. Her current work feeds her desire to be helpful to others while also offering time and financial support for other interests – such as developing a fledgling import retail business inspired by global travels.

In 2017, Worku visited 11 countries (she maximizes her time by including visits to adjacent countries). One favorite trip was a solo 2015 visit to Egypt to see musician Yanni in concert with the pyramids as the backdrop.

Worku traces some of her independence back to her move to LMS from Ethiopia at age 16. “It wasn’t my community, but LMS still felt comfortable,” she said. Though she met a handful of Ethiopians at 91����Ƶ during her first year, the many international students and hospitable community helped her settle in. These were, she says, unique and positive experiences that she wishes other immigrants could have. “People really cared … There was a real understanding that you can’t treat various people in the world all the same way.”

At 91����Ƶ, she chose a business major, but her interests were broad. She still has the form that she and her counselor filled out during the first semester, a plan that enabled a double-major in economic development and international business and a triple-minor in justice, peace and conflict studies, marketing, and computer information systems. She balanced this intense coursework with a job in Multicultural Student Services and extracurricular involvements (the most formative was Students In Free Enterprise, now known as Enactus).

Those early inclinations towards innovation, entrepreneurship and self-motivation are evident in her business pursuits. She prefers working for herself, managing her own time, and developing her own future and that of her clients through personal interaction. She guides her younger clientele through important financial decisions and helps those 60 and older through the maze of rules and regulations surrounding retirement.

Close to her heart are the interactions she can’t forget: bringing a life insurance check to a grieving family overwhelmed with bills, informing a teenage orphan that his mother had not purchased a policy that would have enabled him to continue supporting him and a younger brother. Times like that leave her questioning her own persuasive abilities.

“Was I dedicated enough?” she said. “Did I try hard enough, because that decision to say no to a life insurance policy changed the life of her children?”

Worku’s own assessment of her fortunes, so far, is that she has been “pretty lucky, honestly,” in the life she has created in Atlanta, considering she came knowing only one person and had no job lined up. She has capitalized on her natural strengths but also developed new skills and knowledge. She remains grateful to her parents for the role they have played in her independence and success.

And now Atlanta – her many friends, her boxer Bella, a thriving Ethiopian community, the varied pace of the urban setting, the warm weather and endless entertainment options – feels like home, a place to grow roots and build a future.

“I am glad to get away, but always glad to come back,” she said. ‘I still haven’t really figured out why, but this is home.”