‘Unfinished work’
Delaware’s 2023 MLK celebration explores ‘continuing march to justice’
Delaware, Ohio – The Delaware Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and Ohio Wesleyan University will host a two-day event on January 1st. 15-16 explores the theme of “Unfinished Business: The Continued March to Justice”.
The 2023 event will begin at 2pm on Sunday, January 1st. 15, an online panel discussion on “From Civil Rights to Wakanda: An Exploration of Blackness and the Media.” The free virtual event will feature panelists Dr. Phokeng Dailey, OWU Assistant Professor of Communication; OWU student Saharla Loyan of Westerville; Jason Timpson, OWU Director of Multicultural Student Affairs; Tamika Vinson-Reid. OWU’s Chief Diversity Officer, Dawn Chisebe, will moderate the discussion.
Celebrations will continue on Monday, January 1st. On the 16th, the 30th Annual MLK Breakfast Celebration was held in Benes Hall, Ohio Wesleyan Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Avenue, Delaware. Tickets open and breakfast starts at 7:45am.Formal classes start at 8:30 am and end at 9:30 am
The breakfast will be featuring Nick Bankston as the keynote speaker. Bankston is CEO of Gladden Community House and a member of the Columbus City Council, where he chairs the Small and Minority Business, Technology and Economic Development Committee. Previously, he served as Program Manager for Neighborhood Transformation Strategies for the City of Columbus. In this role, Bankston oversees community revitalization planning and implementation in Mayor Andrew Kinther’s priority neighborhoods.
The MLK Breakfast Celebration will also feature a performance by Urban Strings Columbus, directed by the group’s founder and retired Columbus city school teacher, Catherine Willis. Urban Strings Columbus was established in 2007 to support minority youth who play classical string instruments.
Individual breakfast tickets are $25, and event sponsorship for a table of eight is $240 ($30 per person in recognition of the event’s 30th anniversary). Proceeds support the Delaware County MLK Scholarship Program, which has awarded more than $34,000 to Delaware city and county high school students since 1990. 2023 Scholarship recipients Ava Johnson and Sophia Guerra will be recognized at the event.
Tickets for breakfast are available until January 1st. 9 Visit Eventbrite online at https://bit.ly/30thAnnualMLK or mail a check to MLK Celebration Committee Responsible Ohio Wesleyan Chaplain’s Office / MLK Celebration, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware, OH 43015. For more information, visit owu.edu/MLK.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s leading liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, this private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and participates in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, develop diverse and global perspectives, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world contexts through internships, research, and other means Experience hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan was featured in the book “College That Changes Lives” and has been included in the “Best Colleges” lists by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Connect with OWU’s expert interview resources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.