MLK Academic Programs Conference
CONCURRENT SESSION BLOCK 1 - 2:00 p.m.
The H. P. Jacobs Family, EMU Civil Rights Heroes
This session will explore the career of H. P. Jacobs, who escaped from slavery in Alabama, worked at the Michigan State Normal School (now EMU), and became a leader of Reconstruction in Mississippi. Jacobs’ children, EMU’s first African-American students, carried on their father’s civil rights work. We will discuss how EMU might commemorate and build on this remarkable historical legacy.
This session will take place on Zoom. Individuals who wish to attend will need to preregister for the event and use the zoom link.
Presenters:
- Robert Walker - Former Mayor of Vicksburg, Mississippi and Alumnus and former Professor of History, Jackson State University
- Matt Siegfried, Historian, Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition and Alumnus in History and Historic Preservation, Eastern Michigan University
- Lynne Settles, Teacher, Ypsilanti High School
- Anthony Webster, TRIO SSS Program Director, Eastern Michigan University and Alumnus, Jackson State University and Eastern Michigan University
CONCURRENT SESSION BLOCK 2 - 3:00 p.m.
Mentoring for Success Initiative Roundtable Discussion
This session is a roundtable discussion on creating a culture of belonging through mentoring initiatives for students from underrepresented communities. This discussion will focus on the Mentoring for Success learning communities created over the Summer 2022 and implemented this academic year. Students and faculty mentors will share their experiences as mentees and mentors and provide examples of some challenges and successes.
This session will take place on Zoom. Individuals who wish to attend will need to preregister for the event and use the zoom link.
Presenters:
- Dr. Sadaf Ali, Associate Professor of Electronic Media and Film Studies
- Dr. Dyann Logwood, Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies
Understanding Racism and Anti-Racism through Marketing Imagery
Marketing Communication activities serve to convey meaning, shape social attitudes and are potent agents of socialization. More than a tool of commerce, advertising is a primary social influencer which conveys and reinforces societal norms and values, disseminating them in conspicuous visual manners across cultural, psychological, political, and economic spectrums through widely accessible media. Such practices may convey or reinforce aspects of racism and inequity - but can also be used to promote anti-racism and equity.
This session will take place on Zoom. Individuals who wish to attend will need to preregister for the event and use the zoom link.
Presenter:
- Dr. Judy Foster Davis, Professor of Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications
CONCURRENT SESSION BLOCK 3 AND TAKE 10 - 4:00 p.m.
Phone Conference and Audio-Visual Diplomacy in Global Conflict Resolution
4:00 - 4:10 p.m.
MLK recognized the need for peace as key in improving and making the world a better place. Conflicts between nations are often resolved through the barrel of the gun before the round table. However, phone conference and audio-visual diplomacy can do miracles in resolving conflicts globally. It’s proposed that leaders increase the deployment of this tool in diffusing conflicts globally.
This session will take place on Zoom. Individuals who wish to attend will need to preregister for the event and use the zoom link.
Presenter:
- Dr. Benedict Ilozor, Professor of Visual & Built Environments
Covid-19 at the Checkout
4:10 - 4:20 p.m.
This research discussion will focus on the impact of rapid changes due to the Covid-19 crisis on front line grocery store workers, their work outcomes, wellness and mental health struggles. It will look at the role of organizational leadership and structures in ameliorating the negative effects of the crisis on this understudied mostly minority population of workers.
This session will take place on Zoom. Individuals who wish to attend will need to preregister for the event and use the zoom link.
Presenter:
- Dr. Alankrita Pandey, Associate Professor of Management
- Dr. Jillian Graves, Associate Professor of Social Work
From Negative Peace to Positive Peace: Insights from Martin Luther King Jr.
4:20 - 4:30 p.m.
In the Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. makes a distinction between negative and positive peace and argues in favor of positive peace. Although Martin Luther King Jr. made the distinction in context of the civil rights movement, in this paper, I am going to argue that whereas global and (and even domestic) peace initiatives tend to pursue negative peace, more progress can be attained if we pursue positive peace instead.
Presenter:
- Dr. John Otieno Ouko, Lecturer of History & Philosophy
Take 10 Question & Answer Block
4:30 - 4:45 p.m.
Room Moderator will facilitate Q&A
CONCURRENT SESSION BLOCK 1 - 10:00 a.m.
Voice in Verse
EMU Student Center, Room 330
Poetry, prose, and song that explores social justice will be read aloud. Discussion exploring themes and personal experiences will follow. Preschool and lower elementary children create visual art and music both individually and collectively. Upper elementary, middle, and high school children will create their own poetry or song with the ability to participate in a poetry slam.
Presenter:
- College of Education RAIJE (Representing Antiracism Inclusivity Justice and Equity) Committee
CANCELED
Mrs. Coretta Scott King Expanded the Dream
EMU Student Center, Room 352
We know Coretta Scott King as an important civil rights leader and activist who toiled alongside her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After her husband’s death, she continued to advocate for black equality. What is less known is that Mrs. King also believed that compassion should extend to animals after her son, Dexter Scott King, convinced her that veganism was the next logical step to living a nonviolent life. In 1995 she took the plunge and stopped eating all meat and animal products.
This talk will explore the relationship between liberation and plant-based eating that drove Mrs. King’s decision to go plant-based.
Presenter:
Dr. Toni Pressley-Sanon, Associate Professor of Africology and African American Studies
NOTE: This session has been canceled.