Second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Summit occurring at Hope College

Hope College's Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Summit is back for a second year, and this year, the public is invited to attend all activities. Students from Hope College are organizing the event with help from faculty mentors.

According to an article on Hope College’s website, Reverend Shomari Tate, who is the chaplain of discipleship at Hope College, said of the event, “Our student leaders have done really well to partner with the Hope faculty and staff as well as the Holland community to make this a great day not only for Hope College but the city of Holland. I’m really grateful to professors for accommodating student participation, and to the college’s Deans’ Council for spearheading integrating this event into our academic learning process as well.”

The free leadership summit is subtitled “Celebrating the history of advocacy and justice to empower future leaders and dreamers,” and will kick off the school’s Civil Rights Celebration Week. Included in the event are a special chapel service and multiple lectures and breakout activities.

The session beginning at 9:30am will include the following presentations: Hope College’s Black Student Union’s “One Dream, Many Voices,” the Latino Student Organization’s “Building the Beloved Community,” and the Hope-Western Prison Education Program’s “The Need for Inmate Education.”

The 12:45pm session includes the following presentations: “Community and Connection through the Lens of Dr. King” presented by Anna Bonnema, “What Are You Doing for Others?” presented by Dr. Brooke Odle, and “History in the Making: Behind the Dream” presented by Dr. Pablo Peschiera.

A special chapel service at Dimnent Memorial Chapel will include a recitation of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and a lunch will be provided by non-profit organization I AM Academy. 

The summit will conclude with a lecture by Hope Professor Emeritus John Yelding: “Reflections on MLK, Civil Rights, and DEI at Hope College.” 

The event takes place on Monday, January 15 at the Haworth Hotel. The event is free to attend, though attendees are asked to register ahead of time. To register for the event, visit the calendar event.

For more information about Hope College, visit the school’s website.