In his fight for civil rights, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Americans to think beyond themselves, look past differences and work toward equality. He encouraged all citizens to unite and take action to make the United States a better place to live.
In honor of the civil rights leader, the Damietta Center for Multicultural Student Affairs at St. Bonaventure University will host a weeklong sit-in to protest contemporary injustices that plague society. The Sit-in for Injustice will be held from Tuesday, Jan. 22, through Friday, Jan. 25.
“We have an obligation as a university that cherishes individual worth as one of its core values to never lose sight of the injustice that still exists in our society,” said Dr. Dennis R. DePerro, university president. “This isn’t someone else’s problem. This is a problem we all must address, and events like these are important to remind us that there is still so much work to be done.”
The sit-in will be held in the main lobby of the Reilly Center. Each of the four days will draw attention to a different injustice: Jan. 22, racial and ethnic disparities in incarceration; Jan. 23, sexual assault; Jan. 24, gender wage gap; and Jan. 25, equal rights for all.
Members of the campus community who would like to participate in the sit-in can sign up online to sit in silence for 30 minutes to an hour. Online registration is available here.
In addition, the Damietta Center will host a guest speaker at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the Walsh Amphitheater. Tiffany M. Nyachae, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education, Literacy, and Educational Leadership at SUNY Buffalo State, will be speaking to the theme of the week and what the SBU community can do to work toward justice in an unjust climate. Hors d’oeuvres and other light refreshments will be served. The program is free and open to the public.
On Friday, Jan. 25, join Parker Suddeth, coordinator of the Damietta Center for Multicultural Student Affairs, at noon in the Reilly Center lobby. Suddeth will brainstorm ways the community can raise awareness of injustices that not only occur locally, but nationally and globally.
For more information about MLK Week events, contact Parker Suddeth, coordinator of the Damietta Center for Multicultural Student Affairs, at psuddeth@sbu.edu.