Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:
Happy New Year and welcome to the spring semester! As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dedication to peace, equality and inclusion, we are called to reaffirm these ideals throughout our campus community.
As a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, which remains at the core of our mission, we are pleased to announce an expanded schedule of lectures, discussions, exhibits and service projects that will take place in the coming weeks and months. Countless partners across the university have come together to create these meaningful opportunities to celebrate our diversity and honor Dr. King’s call to pursue justice, promote peace and serve others.
We encourage each of you to engage in opportunities that speak to you. While the full schedule is available at cmu.edu/mlk, a few highlights are noted below:
- Monday, Jan. 16 – The Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards ceremony will feature live readings from this year’s winners. The program, now in its 18th year, selects the best personal narratives from high school and college students reflecting on Dr. King's legacy. Please join us at 4:30 p.m. in Rangos Ballroom, Cohon University Center, for this event.
- Saturday, Jan. 21 – Please join fellow CMU community members for the annual MLK Day of Service. Participants will meet in the Cohon Center before traveling to service sites around the Pittsburgh area, including the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the First Trinity Lutheran Church Monthly Mercies.
- Saturday, Jan. 21 – As a late-night event for the January Celebration of Diversity Weekend, a SPIRIT SOUL Session and MLK Spoken Word showcase will feature spoken word and musical artists from our campus and surrounding Pittsburgh community. The event will take place at 8 p.m. in Rangos 2 & 3, Cohon University Center.
- Tuesday, Jan. 31 – The featured speaker for our MLK, Jr. celebrations is Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr., president of Morehouse College and a passionate advocate for socially conscious and purposeful education. Dr. Wilson will deliver a lecture at 4:30 p.m. in McConomy Auditorium, Cohon University Center.
- Jan. 27-Feb. 19 – POWER & SOUL: An Artistic Forum Showcasing Intersectionality is an art show that aims to find a space in the community for young creatives to continue to combat social inequalities. The opening night reception is Friday, Jan. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Frame Gallery, located at the corner of Margaret Morrison Street and Forbes Avenue.
- Sunday, Feb. 26 – The Inclusive University: A Deliberative Forum is a dialogue about the role of implicit bias and how we see each other through multiple perspectives. Join the conversation from noon to 2:30 p.m. in Rangos Ballroom, Cohon University Center. Please register here.
We look forward to seeing many of you engaging in these events and bringing to life the spirit of Dr. King’s work.
Sincerely,
Farnam Jahanian, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Gina Casalegno, Dean of Students and VP for Student Affairs