Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Registration Opens for Seventh Annual Symposium

In honor of one of America's most revered advocates for racial justice and social change, the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, will once again offer its special one-credit workshop to be held on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
 
The day-long event will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Bethany Hall, with an option to attend virtually through Microsoft Teams. Registration for the event is now open.
 
The workshop is open to all Seton Hall undergraduates, faculty, administrators and alumni as well as the external community at no cost; however, registration in advance is required.
 
Seton Hall undergraduates who wish to receive one credit may register for AFAM 3291: MLK Day Symposium via PirateNet for the Spring 2025 semester. The course falls under Spring semester flat tuition and is no additional cost, regardless of credit load. Undergraduate students will be assigned two post-event essays to complete course requirements. CEU/Professional Development credits are also available.
 
Reverend Forrest Pritchett, Ph.D., director of the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program and Gospel Choir, commented: “We are proud to uphold the oldest university-based commitment to the legacy and impact of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. We continue to build on his vision of leadership and social justice through the MLK Scholarship and Leadership program, which started in 1970, and our annual symposium, first offered in 2019.”
 
Using the paradigms and wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, participants will learn the history of racism, sexism, classism, etc. and their impact on our institutions, socio-cultural processes and the behavior of individuals and social groups. Further, the workshop will examine the civil rights movement in terms of its impact, organizations and its rhetoric as well as the role of privilege, macroaggressions, microaggressions, the humanities and laws in shaping our policies, perceptions and interactions with and toward others.
 
Drew Hart, Ph.D., associate professor of theology at Messiah University and program director, Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice, will deliver this year’s keynote address. A scholar rooted in Christian ethics, Black theology and Anabaptism, Hart’s work studies white supremacy, liberation and peacemaking, and discipleship in the way of Jesus, with a focus on how the church can embody a radical and prophetic counter-witness against all death-dealing forces at work in our world.
 
Hart is the author of Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism (2016), Who Will Be A Witness?: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance (2020), and co-editor and contributor to Reparations and the Theological Disciplines: Prophetic Voices for Remembrance, Reckoning, and Repair (2023). His scholarship challenges the church to resist the distortions of Christian faith that justify racial injustice and social exploitation, instead calling for a Jesus-shaped discipleship that stands in solidarity with the least, last and little ones in society.
 
Additional course content for the day includes:

• Presentations from Martin Luther King Program scholars on the unique aspects and characteristics of Reverend Dr. King’s leadership style and how each leadership attribute was developed in the context of the civil rights movement.
• Faculty presentations and informative assessments of historical and contemporary issues. Faculty will discuss a range of topics, including social experience, racism, sexism, classism, religious intolerance, hate speech, instructional content and teacher preparation.
• Overview of the academic impact of the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program, established in 1970, on the Seton Hall culture and on its course offerings.
   
  To view the symposium’s full Schedule of Events and for details on how to register, please visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium website for more information.

Categories: Education, Faith and Service