January 20-24, 2025
The week will kick off with a Day of Service on Monday, led by the WSU Center for Civic Engagement. This day will provide opportunities for participants to give back to their communities and foster a spirit of shared action and commitment—principles that align closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
On Tuesday, WSU will observe the National Day of Racial Healing. This day will include a Virtual Opening Welcome and Panel Discussion that centers on addressing divisions and healing wounds within our communities. Later in the day, the Writers Give Voice Open Mic Poetry Event will provide a creative outlet for expression and dialogue, encouraging community members to share their stories. Drum Circles will also take place, symbolizing rhythm, connection, and the power of collective action. Additional programs will be spread across all WSU campuses or livestreamed to ensure inclusive participation.
The week will conclude with the WSU MLK Keynote Celebration on Thursday, featuring keynote speaker Rhonda V. Magee, a distinguished advocate for mindfulness and social justice. The celebration will also include musical performances by God’s Harmony, the Campus Civic Poet Winner, Crimson Couture, and the presentation of the newly revamped MLK Legacy Awards, recognizing individuals and groups who embody Dr. King’s vision for the Beloved Community through their work in service, nonviolence, and social justice.
Together, these events aim to highlight the importance of sustainability, justice, and unity—reflecting Dr. King’s enduring legacy of hope, resilience, and positive change for all.
National Day of Racial Healing: Tuesday, Jan. 21
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 9:10 to 10:30 a.m. | One WSU Program Welcome and Faculty Panel Discussion Ashley Boyd will moderate a faculty panel on “Bridging Divides to Sustainability” with Julia Carboni, Imran Haider, Jessica Perone, and Amina Hussein | |
| 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | CUB | Healing wall mural led by Jiemei Lin. |
| 12:10 p.m.-1:00 p.m. | Terrell Library Atrium | Drum circle performance led by Darryl Singleton. Drum circles bring people together. The act of drumming is not just cathartic for the individual; we are reminded of our connection to those around us and how beautiful life can be when we interact from a place of collaboration and support rather than confrontation and self-centeredness. This is the essence of the National Day of Racial Healing. We invite you to put hand to drum to create vibrations that will resonate through each soul in the circle and outward through campus, community, region, and nation. |
| 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. | Pavilion Gallery and livestreamed on the WSU Global Campus YouTube channel | In “Writers Give Voice,” the museum and English Department will host a reading and open mic program in response to the theme of the day, “Keep on Pushing: Building Bridges to Sustainability.” Readers will include WSU Campus Civic Poets and Finalists, creative writing students and faculty, and student editors of WSU creative writing publications. All students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to bring a poem to read during the open mic portion. Poems may be original compositions or selected from the work of another author, though they should engage with the themes of the day. Before and after the program, visitors are encouraged to view current museum exhibitions, including The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation and Your Collection: Faculty Remix. In collaboration with the Holland Terrell Library’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, the event will be accompanied by the opportunity to complete a letterpress printing of a relevant poem. |
WSU Pullman University Recreation Classes
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 9:45 a.m. | Chinook 30 | Pilates |
| 12:05 to 1 p.m. | Chinook 20 and via Zoom | Gentle Yoga Hybrid |
| 3 to 3:50 p.m. | Chinook 22 | Intro to Yoga |
| 4 to 4:45 p.m. | SRC 245 | SOULkickboxing |
WSU Tri-Cities
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Noon to 1 p.m. | Lunch and Learn with Counseling and Wellness: Build community through comida and conversation. During this time, you will get to know your campus colleagues, peers and share your vision of a racial-free world and racial equity and justice through the dialogue of Conocimiento. | |
| 1 to 3 p.m. | Poetry Slam with BSU, MOSAIC Center, and Anyla McDonald. For the first hour, poet Anyla McDonald will share and perform pieces from her book, Black Joy & Black Tribulations: Poems, Short Stories, and Essay. For the second hour, there will be a poetry slam open to campus and surrounding colleges. |
WSU Vancouver
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Noon to 2 p.m. | Firstenberg Student Commons | Amber Boydston |
| Livestreamed | Bhakti Yoga Studio: Making Space for Healing and Togetherness |
WSU Everett
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Student Success Center | Macramé Activity: Braiding our Stories. Robin Wall Kimmerer urges us to consider the many parts of ourselves that are woven together and that make us strong, resilient, and beautiful. Reflecting on her experience weaving a black ash basket, she writes, “[The baskets] are all made of the same stuff yet each is itself. That’s the way it is with . . . people , too, all made of the same thing and each their own kind of beautiful.” Come engage in a short reflective activity and create a simple macramé key chain that symbolizes for you the strands of self you honor and value. All materials and lunch provided. |