Dream Week and "Becoming the Beloved Community"

The theme chosen for Dream Week 2021 is "Becoming the Beloved Community." "The Beloved Community" is a term Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., popularized when he addressed Civil Rights supporters at the end of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956 by declaring ending segregation was not the only goal but rather "the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community."

Dream Week begins with Centenary students, staff and faculty joining together with the Black Student Union in a solidarity walk around campus.During the remainder of the week, several events which are listed below will pay homage to the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

MLK Silent March
2:00 PM • Hargrove Memorial Amphitheater
Sponsored by Black Student Union

Join BSU in a solidarity walk around the campus perimeter. The March will conclude with a silent stand (2 minutes) on the sidewalk facing East Kings. A light lunch or refreshments will be provided after the event.

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 18

Annual MLK Service Day - 50 Passport Points
8:15 - 9:00 am • Smith Building (Registration)
9:00 am • Service Event in the Fit
Register via Engage

Projects include:

Writing advocacy letters to local, state, and national officials; Compiling Dream Week notes for local senior citizens residing in nursing facilities (180 spots available) - participants will be provided pens, paper, envelopes and blank cards. If other materials are desired like art supplies, we ask that you provide these materials.

Centenary Community Garden (20 spots available) - For this opportunity, please wear warm clothing that you do not mind getting dirty. 

Participants must serve from beginning to end of the project to receive a Dream Week t-shirt. T-shirts and light snacks will be provided to participants.

Note: ALL participants will be required to wear masks.

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19

MLK Convocation - 75 Passport Points
11:15 am • Brown Chapel limited seating / Live streaming

Speaker: Bishop Cynthia F. Harvey

Cynthia Fierro Harvey was appointed bishop of the Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in September of 2012. Currently, she serves as the President of the Council of Bishops and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Centenary College and on The Perkins School of Theology Executive Board.

View the recording of the MLK Convocation with Bishop Harvey here. 

Stephen Pitters ’71 Webinar - 50 Passport Points
7:00 pm
Register via Engage

Sponsored by the Attaway Professorships in Civic Culture

Online poetry reading followed by a Q & A facilitated by Mr. Chris Brown ’01, College Archivist 

 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

King in the Wilderness - 50 Passport Points
6:30 pm • Whited Room
Register via Engage (32 spots available)

King in the Wilderness is an American documentary film about Martin Luther King Jr., which focuses on the final eighteen months of his life leading up to his assassination on April 4, 1968.

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

MLK Alumni Convocation Webinar - 75 Passport Points
11:15 am • ZOOM ID: 963 9757 6567
Co-sponsored by the Attaway Professorships in Civic Culture

Webinar with Patricia Matthew '91, Ph.D., followed by Q & A facilitated by Jefferson Hendricks '75, Ph.D.

Dr. Matthew teaches courses in British Romanticism, the history of the novel, and British abolitionist literature at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Her work on diversity has been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. In addition to essays on race and popular culture, she is currently writing a monograph about sugar, gender, and British abolitionist literature.

Becoming the Beloved Community: Healing from Within Webinar - 50 Passport Points
5:00 pm • ZOOM ID: 980 0877 6126
Co-sponsored by Career Services

This past academic year, college students have been at the forefront of racial injustice; fighting centuries of oppression without the proper tools to protect themselves and their community members. Join Dr. Stacia' Alexander, Executive Director of Positive Influences, as she facilitates a challenging conversation regarding the emotionality of success and how students can balance social activism while protecting their emotional well-being.

 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

“Express Yourself…”
11:00 am - 1:00 pm • Caf Deck (rain location - SUB)
Sponsored by Multicultural Student Association

Take a moment and share your thoughts regarding the Dream Week theme: “Becoming the Beloved Community”