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MLK, seated, looks off to his right, his hands folding in front of him

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We Don't Have Much Time:" Raising Consciousness and Building the Future Now

The 2023 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Celebration, Monday, January 30, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, Breed Memorial Hall 

Join the Africana Center,  Tisch College of Civic Life,  and the University Chaplaincy for the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration. This year’s theme, "We Don't Have Much Time:" Raising Consciousness and Building the Future Now, is inspired by a series of lectures that King offered in 1968 that were published as a book entitled The Trumpet of Conscience. The 2023 guiding quote is from King's book The Trumpet of Conscience, and reads: “But we do not have much time. The revolutionary spirit is already world-wide. If the anger of the peoples of the world at the injustices of things is to be channeled into a revolution of love and creativity, we must begin now to work, urgently, with all peoples to shape a new world.”

We will welcome scholar Dr. Régine Michelle Jean-Charles as our keynote speaker.  Dr. Jean-Charles is Director of Africana Studies, Dean’s Professor of Culture and Social Justice, and Professor of Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Northeastern University and is the author of Martin Luther King and the Trumpet of Conscience Today.  This powerful book invites us to critically reflect on King’s legacy and to resurrect King’s radical calls for transformation and justice for the sake of today’s most urgent issues: ending racism, sexual violence, and mass incarceration. Following her keynote address, attendees will engage in facilitated table discussion about what it looks like to personally and communally take action in our lives and campus now.  Dinner will provided to guests in person. The event will be live-streamed, with a link emailed to you the day of the event. The event will also feature student artists and musicians as well as winners of the MLK Student Voices Award.

 

A discussion series of the book, sponsored by the GLADC, will launch over winter break and include opportunities for members of the Tufts community to sign up for a small group discussion ahead of the January 30th celebration. And the MLK Day of Community Action, hosted by the Interfaith Ambassador Team on Saturday, February 4, will welcome students across the University for a day of reflection, learning, and action for justice and community.  

The event will take place in person at Breed Memorial Hall, and will include dinner. Please email University Chaplaincy program manager Nora Bond with any questions or accessibility needs. We will have ASL interpretation on-site.

This event is co-hosted by the Africana Center, Tisch College of Civic Life, and the University Chaplaincy. The event is sponsored by the President's Office, with generous additional support from the Provost’s Office, the Department of History, the Department of Romance Studies, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Reverend Elyse Nelson Winger

Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger became University Chaplain at Tufts University in October of 2020. She leads the Chaplaincy Team in supporting all religious, spiritual, and philosophical life at Tufts; educates about spiritual and ethical issues in society and the world; and coordinates pastoral care, multifaith initiatives, and strategic partnerships around the university and beyond. Before coming to Tufts, Rev. Nelson Winger served as Associate Dean of Students and Chaplain at Illinois Wesleyan University where she provided vision and leadership for religious, spiritual and multifaith life on campus and partnered with students, faculty and staff on a range of initiatives designed to support the University’s mission commitments to global citizenship, critical thinking, diversity, and the arts. She also led advocacy efforts related to students’ thriving, belonging, and well-being on campus and served as a Title IX deputy coordinator for student affairs.Rev. Nelson Winger is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and has served congregations in Cairo, Egypt, Dearborn, Michigan and Bloomington, Illinois. She has served as a committee or board member for numerous faith-based and non-profit organizations, including nine years of service on the Board of Directors for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. She also enjoys writing and wrote a column for Gather magazine that twice received honorable mention in The Associated Church Press’ “The Best of the Christian Press” awards.

Katrina Moore

Katrina Moore is the Director of the Africana Center at Tufts, where she serves as a campus resource and educates the community on emerging issues regarding students of African descent. She is responsible for establishing the Center's vision and advocates on behalf of students in cases of intolerance and/or discrimination. She works closely with students and student organizations to develop effective programs and initiatives to enhance the co-curricular experience of students and build leadership skills. A sought-after campus leader, Katrina participates in committee assignments, both within the division and the broader Tufts community.

Anthony P. Monaco, President, Tufts University, 2011-2023

Anthony P. Monaco became the thirteenth president of Tufts University on August 1, 2011. An accomplished leader, scientist and teacher, Dr. Monaco brings to the Tufts presidency deep-rooted commitments to academic excellence, diversity, access and inclusion, a global perspective, and a keen awareness of the power of higher education to impact individuals and society. As pro-vice-chancellor for planning and resources at Oxford University from 2007 until his arrival at Tufts, Dr. Monaco developed and led strategic-planning initiatives for academic programs, capital improvements and budgeting and resource allocation. He was an active steward of programs to make an Oxford education possible for students from a range of backgrounds. A distinguished geneticist, Dr. Monaco’s doctoral research led to a landmark discovery: the gene responsible for X-linked Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. At Oxford, he led the Neurogenetics Group, a team of scientists investigating the genetic underpinnings of such neurodevelopmental disorders as autism, specific language impairment, and dyslexia. His research group was the first to identify a gene (FOXP2) specifically involved in human speech and language. Dr. Monaco directed Oxford University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics from 1998-2007 and was then appointed as pro-vice-chancellor for planning and resources. At Tufts, President Monaco holds faculty appointments as a professor of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1981, and his M.D. and Ph.D. through Harvard Medical School’s Medical Scientist Training Program, where he specialized in the genetics of neurological disorders.

Dr. Régine Jean-Charles

Dr. Régine Michelle Jean-Charles is the Dean’s Professor of Culture and Social Justice as well as Director of Africana Studies at Northeastern University. She is also a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. A Black feminist literary scholar who works at the intersections of race, gender and justice from a global perspective, her scholarship and teaching include work on Black France, African diasporic literatures, Caribbean Studies, Haiti, and the Haitian diaspora. She has authored over 30 publications that have appeared in books, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Jean-Charles is the author of three books: Conflict Bodies: The Politics of Rape Representation in the Francophone Imaginary (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2014) examines theoretical, visual, and literary texts in order to challenge global rape culture.  The Trumpet of Conscience Today (New York: Orbis Press, 2021) considers at three social justice movements—Black Lives Matter, #metoo, and prison abolition through the lens of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s lesser-known speeches in The Call to Conscience. Her most recent book, Looking for Other Worlds: Black Feminism and Haitian Fiction (University of Virginia Press in 2022) is a study of contemporary Haitian women writers and visual artists.

 

Andrew Harris, A26

Student Voices Award Winner

Andrew Harris is a portrait photographer based in Boston, MA. He was born in Liberia and moved to the U.S. at age nine. His work centers Black America, attempting to celebrate and understand their voices while expressing his own. Andrew Harris aims to highlight their power, beauty, and resilience and, ultimately, offers Black America a space to define themselves. His photographs unapologetically assert a Black future. He continues to exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Photography and The Armory in Somerville. Andrew Harris is currently studying Film and Media at Tufts University. In his work, he now explores the history of America’s relationship with his birthplace, Liberia.

 

 

Ayo Oloyede, A25

Student Voices Award Winner

Ayomide (Ah-yo-me-day) Oloyede is a sophomore from Columbus, GA majoring in International Relations and Civic Studies. As an award-winning actor and orator he strives to utilize his voice as a tool to promote healthy dialogue, discourse and reflection. The themes of his work often include redefining masculinity, black joy, and self-care. He writes poetry for himself, but he doesn’t mind if you would like to listen!

Marsha Germain, A25

Student Voices Award Winner

Marsha Germain is a sophomore at Tufts University double majoring in Biopsychology and Civic Studies on the pre-law track. Marsha was born in Jeremie, Haiti and immigrated to the United States at five years old. She is very proud of her culture and often incorporates it into her work to better portray her perspective and experiences as a Black Woman in America. Marsha is also incredibly passionate and involved in the Black community at Tufts and demonstrates that through her work with the Africana Center. Finally, Marsha is very passionate about poetry and hopes to show this through her own work and as the president of Spoken Word At Tufts (S.W.A.T.) Underground Poetry.