MLK Celebration Events
RVA Community Makers
January 9-20View the RVA Community Makers 2022 exhibition in the Heilman Dining Center Lobby any time during the celebration. Visit the exhibition on Wednesday, January 11, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., to pick up a 2023 MLK Celebration t-shirt and sticker. First come, first served.
Changemakers of Today
Thursday, January 12, 7–8:30 p.m., Brown Alley Room
Dr. Julian Hayter, associate professor of leadership studies, will moderate a panel discussion on Martin Luther King Jr. and Wyatt T. Walker's legacies with Kalia Harris, Joh Gehlback, Shira Greer, and Chlo’e Edwards.
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Community Conversations
Monday, January 16, multiple times and locations
Community Conversations are opportunities for us to engage in dialogue across differences. At each Community Conversation, facilitators will offer their perspectives then invite participants into discusssion. Registration is required.
How can we be beacons of light and hope in our communities?
12–1 p.m., D-Hall Richmond Room
James Gordon, principal of Glen Lea Elementary School, and Rob McAdams, director of Partners in the Arts, will facilitate a conversation on what Gordon describes as heartwork and hardwork. James Gordon is one of the luminaries featured in the RVA Community Makers exhibition, on view in Heilman Dining Center Lobby. Free lunch included.
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How do we respond to the intersectional crises in our communities?
2:30–3:30 p.m., Westhampton Living Room
Caprichia Spellman, director of the Office of Community Wealth Building, and Tom Shields, associate dean of the School of Professional & Continuing Studies, will facilitate a conversation on inequality in Richmond and how we can play our part in the intersectional work to positively impact our communities. Refreshments provided.
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How is faith intertwined with justice?
4–5 p.m., Whitehurst Living Room
Don Coleman, co-lead pastor of East End Fellowship, and Hank Chambers, professor of law, will facilitate a conversation with the Office of the Chaplaincy on how different faith traditions can impact notions of justice and fuel action in our communities. Refreshments provided.
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How does MLK speak to us today?
5:30–6:30 p.m., D-Hall Richmond Room
Dr. Alesia Johnson, co-pastoral director of Richmond Hill, and Dr. Jillean McCommons, professor of history and Africana studies, will facilitate a conversation about the ways that Martin Luther King Jr.’s words are understood today. Free dinner included.
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A Beloved Community Gathering
Wednesday, January 18, 4–6 p.m., Alice Haynes Room
Gather for delicious food, conversation, reflection opportunities, music by WDCE 90.1, and live performances by Roscoe Burnems, poet laureate of Richmond (4:20 p.m.), and Richmond hip-hop artist Chance Fischer (5 p.m.). Come for part or all of this celebratory event. Registration is encouraged but not required.
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Perspectives: Participatory Budgeting and Economic Justice
Friday, January 20, 12:30–1:30 p.m., THC 305
Perspectives guest speaker Matthew Slaats of Richmond’s Participatory Budgeting Initiative will discuss community decision-making and economic justice. Pizza will be served. All are welcome, and no registration is required.