President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

(University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina invites the campus community to reflect on three of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches and participate in a virtual town hall and a series of special events to celebrate and commemorate the legacy and memory of the greatest civil rights leader in American history.)

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

“A time comes when silence is betrayal.”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was talking about the Vietnam War, but those words uttered in 1967 can be a rallying cry today in this moment of racial reckoning in our country. We’re called to lift our voices and engage in nonviolent means to challenge the status quo of systemic racism, inequality, and injustice.

I invite you to reflect on three of Dr. King’s speeches and participate in a virtual town hall and a series of events next week to celebrate and commemorate the legacy and memory of the greatest civil rights leader in American history. Please visit this website for links to the “I Have a Dream,” “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,” and “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speeches.

For the full schedule of events with interactive links, visit here. Here’s a sampling:

• Jan. 18: noon virtual march and wreath laying ceremony at the MLK Memorial and a community service pledge.

•Jan. 19: 7 p.m. town hall, moderated by the Rev. Dustin Pickett, campus minister for Christian diversity and ecumenical ministry. The panel will feature faculty members Dr. V. Denise James, Dr. Kelly Johnson, and Dr. Ernesto Rosen Velasquez discussing ways Dr. King’s thinking evolved during his ministry and ways we can draw on his legacy to address systemic racism today.

• Jan. 21: 12:15 p.m. Prayers of the Heart service followed by a 12:45 p.m. Table of Plenty dialogue about Dr. King’s call to break the silence on social justice issues.

In addition, students are invited to learn about ways to engage in activism, and University Libraries will offer an interactive, self-guided opportunity to discover more about Dr. King’s life and legacy and reflect on connecting his message to today’s struggles for social justice.

Thank you for taking time to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy — and build community and foster justice and equality in our world.

Sincerely,

Eric F. Spina
President