This week I sat down with Robbie Quarles of the Multicultural Programs and Services office and head of the Black Student Union here on campus. This week, he and heads of the CCE came together to brainstorm for a line of programming to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Alisa Lively, LeeAnn Brown, Meghan Frum, Christopher Scott and Katie Loudin all came together to bring us the programs for MLK Day this week.
On Monday, Wesleyan hosted a food-packaging event. World Vision, the company that made this event possible, gave a brief presentation on their mission to help supply easy-to-make food to families all over the world. A company had purchased the care packages, but they were unable to assemble them, that’s where the students came in. More than 250 students helped make food packages between the lunch and dinner hours in the side-dining hall. 600 packages were made and all were donated to the local Parish House. In the true spirit of MLK, we all came together to help one another.Â
Later that evening, there was an MLK service in the chapel. Pastor Faison of Nashville, Tenn. and the Watson Grove Baptist Church presented the service. Savannah Payne presented music and the BSU and Alpha Psi Omega presented Word of Peace. The service was intended to honor King in a more faith-based environment.
On Tuesday at lunch, the CCE held roundtable discussions on hot-button topics dealing with social justice. All programs held throughout the two days honoring King had a wonderful impact on our student body. If it were not for the work of Robbie and his colleagues, we would not have made such an impact on the student body or even the community around us. Robbie is hopeful that the MLK programs will continue in the years to come and that the programing will become more inclusive and will offer a larger variety of activities for all students to take part in. According to Robbie, the goal of these programs is to serve King in an impactful and encompassing way.
On February 7, Opal Tometi, one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, will lead a discussion on campus, including a Q&A session. The event will take place in the Chapel at 3 p.m. This gives students the opportunity to come and open their minds to the problems we face as a society today. Also, be on the lookout for Black History Month programming going on around campus!
Thank you, Robbie Quarles, for everything you are doing for this campus! We can’t wait to see what’s next!