Tag Archives: mlk

Snapshots: Things to do this week and MLK Day

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Still Spreading Joy

The City of Holland recently announced that it would keep its holiday lights up through March, extending the cheer through the winter months. The lights are up through downtown Holland so that walkers and runners have the opportunity to enjoy them.

Build It and They Feel Welcomed

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park hosted a soft opening this week for its new entranceway. Those who visit the Gardens will now enter through the new Welcome Center, which is comprised of two levels, the Main Level and the lower Courtyard Level. The Main Level features the new entryway, Ram’s Garden, ticketing center and expanded coat room, restrooms, and mobility center as well as other features. The library, archives, indoor eating area and the new Mimi’s Garden are located in the Courtyard Level.

Remembering a Leader

On Monday, Jan. 18, the nation will celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Locally, two organizations, Grand Valley State University and the Muskegon Museum of Art, will be hosting virtual events. At 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18, GVSU will host a Zoom webinar with White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor who will discuss the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. On Jan. 18, the Muskegon Museum of Art will offer an online art activity, film list for adults and an African-American art highlight as part of its Virtual MLK Day Celebration. As its 2021 MLK Community Service project, the City of Kentwood is collecting food and nonperishable items for its Little Free Pantry. Items can be dropped off at several locations such as Kentwood City Hall, KDL Kentwood Branch, and the Kentwood Activities Center.

Godwin Heights High School’s girls basketball team in action against Wyoming Tri-unity Christian on Jan. 7, 2020. (WKTV)

The Blizzard and Basketball

While we wait for the high school basketball season to start, how about a history lesson? Recently Google honored James Naismith, the man who invented basketball. According to the only surviving recording of Naismith, the idea for the game came about when he was a physical education teacher for what is now Springfield College in Massachusetts. After a blizzard had covered the area eliminating outdoor activities, Naismith said he was looking for a way to help the students burn off some excess energy. One day, after practice, he came up with the idea of nailing two peach baskets to the opposite ends of the gym, dividing the students into two teams of nine, and told them the object was to get the ball into the other team’s basket. This was the start of one of the U.S.’s most popular winter games.

County offices closed in observance of MLK day

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, most of the Kent County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18.

A few exceptions are as follows:

The Kent County Correctional Facility will remain open with regular hours; however all other services will be closed.

The Department of Public Works disposal facilities will remain open with regular hours.

Kent County Health Department operated COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites open.

For more information on how to access Kent County departments and offices, visit www.accesskent.com.

Award-winning journalist gives virtual keynote address for King commemoration event

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Education, ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Yamiche Alcindor, award-winning journalist and White House correspondent for PBS Newshour, will give the keynote address during West Michigan’s commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Yamiche Alcindor (GVSU)

The virtual program on Monday, Jan. 18, will run from 6:30-8 p.m. It is free and open to the public; register online to receive a link to the Zoom webinar. More information about Alcindor is below. The event will also introduce area high school scholarship recipients and include short welcomes from college presidents and community leaders.

Alcindor’s address, “The Legacy of MLK: Purpose, Truth and Justice,” is sponsored by Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University, with key support from Spectrum Health, Consumers Energy, and Warner Norcross and Judd LLP.

On the 35th anniversary of this community event, GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella said she is pleased the higher education partners teamed to bring Alcindor to the community.

“Dr. King’s legacy invites all of us to commit ourselves to fighting systemic racism by supporting the Black community and elevating their voices and experiences of yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Mantella said. “Together, we as a nation have work to do.”

Bill Pink, president of GRCC, said: “Each year we come together as a community to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King. We recognize his achievements, his life and his message. But it is also a time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and our community. We can appreciate how far we have come while still focusing on the long road ahead. The events of 2020 show we have much to do. Our annual celebration can inspire us to do that work together.”

 

Richard J. Pappas, president of Davenport University, said he is grateful the campus partners honor the legacy of King and are “renewed in our commitment to provide equitable and inclusive experiences across our campuses.”

 

“Together, we are teaching and shaping tomorrow’s leaders to build each other up, show others compassion, speak out against racism and violence and rally together for what is right,” Pappas said.

Alcindor joined PBS NewsHour in 2018. She began her journalism career at Newsday in New York and several years later was named a political correspondent for NBC and MSNBC. During the 2020 presidential election, Alcindor became a go-to voice in analyzing the nation’s most critical issues.

Alcindor has received the White House Correspondents’ Association Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and the 2020 National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year Award.

More information about Alcindor, the Jan. 18 event and other GVSU events to commemorate King’s life are online at gvsu.edu/mlk.

National speakers highlight GVSU’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. week

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , , ,

Kevin Powell, author and president of BK Nation

By Michele Coffill

Grand Valley State University

 

Two nationally known speakers will highlight Grand Valley State University’s commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Kevin Powell is an activist, author and president of BK Nation, a national organization based in New York City centered on grassroots activism, pop culture, technology, and social media to spark projects and campaigns. He has written 12 books, the most recent is “The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood.”

 

Powell will be the keynote speaker on Monday, Jan. 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena on the Allendale Campus.

 

Kimberlé Crenshaw is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia law schools. She coined two terms — critical race theory and intersectionality — that have proved foundational in many areas of study. She is a leading voice in calling for a gender-inclusive approach to racial justice interventions, having spearheaded the Why We Can’t Wait Campaign and co-authored “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected,” and “Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women.”

 

Crenshaw will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, Allendale Campus. This presentation will be simulcast to an audience in the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. 

 

Both events are free and open to the public.

 

Many free events are planned on the Allendale Campus for Jan. 16, which marks the fifth year that classes have been canceled on the national King holiday, allowing more students, faculty and staff members to participate in events. Visit www.gvsu.edu/mlk for details.

 

Commemoration events continue Tuesday, Jan. 17, when the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies will host “Race and the American Dream” at 7 p.m. in the Eberhard Center. Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, will join Jason Riley, columnist and editorial board member at the Wall Street Journal, for a dialogue on the progress that has been made since the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the challenges that continue to exist. It is free and open to the public; RSVP online at www.hauensteincenter.org/RSVP.

 

Grand Valley will close its week of events on Saturday, Jan. 21, when hundreds of students will volunteer their time in the community by working at different locations.