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Next week, January 26-30, is the University-wide celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the week, students and faculty will participate in a Memorial March around campus, view and discuss “The Loving Story” on Movie Night, engage with inner-city school children in a Day of Service, and more.

Central to the festivities is the MLK Convocation on Wednesday, January 28, at the Quick Center, when four members of the campus community will be honored with Vision Awards for their for their efforts to instill and inspire the teachings of Dr. King.

Nicole Davidow ’15

An international studies major, Nicole (left) is a member of JUHAN, a Eucharistic Minister, founder of the Catholic Relief Services student club, a participant in both international and domestic service trips, and an active member of the Students for Social Justice. She is also an alumni mentor in the Ignatian Residential College.

Dr. Jocelyn Boryczka
Associate Professor of Politics

Through all of her educational interactions with students Dr. Boryczka (right) challenges her students to connect their ‌academic learning with real world issues and to bring their academic engagement into the public arena. From 2007 to 2012, Dr. Boryczka served as director of Peace and Justice Studies, during which time the minor grew to be one of the largest in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Will Johnson
Associate Dean of Students

As the former director of Institutional Diversity Initiatives, Will Johnson (left) has been responsible for creating and enhancing many of the University’s diversity recruitment initiatives, bringing intelligence, attentiveness, mentorship, and advocacy to the role. Will has found ways both personally and through others to both advance the cause and bring attention to the needs of many students, and also to teach them how to advocate for themselves.  Safe Space has flourished under his leadership, as has Cura Personalis, and ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ’s programs for male students.

Larri Mazon (right), the University’s former director of Institutional Diversity Initiatives, will receive the Rev. John LaFarge, S.J. Award, named in honor of a leader ‌and a spokesperson for the human rights of African Americans.

Keynote speaker is Dr. Clarence B. Jones (pictured below left), political advisor, counsel, and former draft speechwriter for is currently a visiting professor at the University of San Francisco and a scholar writer-in-residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute at Stanford University. Dr. Jones will speak on “The 21st Century Challenge of the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” followed by Q&A and discussion.

As part of the Convocation, winners of an essay contest for middle-school students from Bridgeport will also be announced. The contest, which is co-sponsored by ¼â½ÐÊÓƵ University and the Connecticut Post, addresses the questions: “What do dreams and hope mean to you?” and “How do you put your dreams and hopes for justice and equality into action?”

Wylie Smith Blake, campus minister of Community Outreach, and Dr. Kris Sealey, associate professor of Philosophy, are co-chairs of this year’s event, supported by a committee of 21 volunteers.  “Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King is very dear to the Jesuit mission of our University,” Dr. Sealy said. “It is our hope that the theme of this year’s celebration – Dare to Dream – inspires our campus community reignite Dr. King’s tireless work toward racial and social justice in their own lives.”