College of Arts, Sciences and Education
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College Faculty, Staff and Students Participate in MLK Celebration Events
January 19, 2017
This week Ferris State University celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a number of events on campus. College of Arts, Sciences and Education faculty, staff and students were active participants in many of these events.
On January 16, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Ferris State Diversity and Inclusion Office hosted the 23rd annual Faculty/Staff In-Service in the David L. Eisler Center. The event was hosted by Dr. David Pilgrim, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, and featured readings by Ferris faculty and staff, including President David L. Eisler.
Several College of Arts, Sciences and Education faculty spoke at the event: Dr. Scott Herron of the Department of Biological Sciences; Dr. Dierdre Fagan of the Department of English, Literature, and World Languages; and Dr. Sandy Alspach and Dr. Tracy Busch of the Humanities Department.
Later that day, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Freedom March on campus attracted more than two hundred participants. The march was followed by a student tribute in the David L. Eisler Center.
On January 17, the Office of Multicultural Student Services and Ferris Student Government hosted "Politics Now: What Would MLK Think?", the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featured discussion.
The panel included three members of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education faculty: Dr. Gary Huey and Dr. Christian Peterson of the Humanities Department, and Dr. Rita Walters of the Department of Social Work. College of Arts, Sciences and Education students and Student Government representatives Jacob Law, a senior in the Political Science Program, and Endira Hebovija, a junior Pre-Pharmacy major, also appeared on the panel.
The participants discussed how Dr. King might interpret modern-day issues such as school integration, African American history, school textbooks, citizen participation and activism, peaceful protest, and the impact of the news media and social media. They also provided their thoughts on how Dr. King is remembered today. Members of the audience, including Ferris students, weighed in with their opinions and also asked the panel members questions.
Finally, on January 18, CNN political analyst, lawyer and activist Bakari Sellers visited the David L. Eisler Center as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration guest speaker.