To celebrate the life and teachings of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Elizabethtown College is hosting a collection of events and workshops that are intended to foster a community that is both caring and inclusive. The Beloved Community Collective is the group of workshops that the College is hosting from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7. The name for the collection of events comes from one of King’s speeches that was given after the decision to desegregate seats on the Montgomery buses. In his speech, the Reverend said, “the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”
To help encourage inclusivity on the campus and in the local community, the Beloved Community Collective has workshops that are intended to bring together various cultures and their members. These events have opened the door for conversations, allowing participants to open themselves to new ideas and ways, helping foster positive action in their communities. Some of the events that were scheduled for the collective include analyzing the principles of King’s nonviolence, a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and a showing of “The Blackness Project,” which includes a post-showing discussion panel. The events and workshops that are included in the Beloved Community Collective are almost entirely hosted by members of the College community.
The Beloved Community Collective allows participants of different backgrounds and cultures to communicate in a safe space about their experiences and how it has affected them. However, these workshops have also taught valuable lessons that can be used outside of these discussions. Included in these workshops are the ideas of how to be resilient, recognizing harmful and hurtful language and language and skills that can be used to help resolve conflict peacefully.
While the collective has encouraged open discussions on difficult topics, it has also reinforced making a difference within local communities. Finding a place to start can be difficult, but by applying some of the lessons learned from these workshops, those who participated are able to help slowly facilitate change over time, regardless of how much they know. As King once shared, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
For those that are interested in participating in some of the activities that the Beloved Community Collective has to offer, they can check Etown’s website to see the dates and times, as well as a description, of any event that is being offered. The collective has set out with the goal of not only being a safe space that fosters conversations, inclusivity and self-love, but also hosting events that can help inform and educate people with ways that they can help continue the fight that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. started. Being informed is only one half of the battle; The other is standing up to protect those who cannot stand up for themselves. The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds all that regardless of who you are or where you come from, you can still have an impact on those around you.
