Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium
Monday, January 20, 2025
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Event Update: Virtual-Only Format Due to Inclement Weather
Please note that, due to anticipated inclement weather, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium on Monday, January 20, 2025, will now be held exclusively in a virtual format. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be accessed online. Existing registrants, please check your emails for the access link and additional information. New registrants, please follow the directions on the event registration page to receive the virtual access link.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of America's most revered advocates for racial justice and social change, the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, will once again offer a special one-credit workshop to be held on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Pre-registration is required. A link to join the event will be sent via email upon registration.
This year, the keynote address will be presented by Drew Hart, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theology at Messiah University.
Additional course content for the day includes esteemed faculty colleagues presenting informative assessments of historical and contemporary issues and applying their disciplinary skills to discuss a range of topics, including social experience, racism, sexism, classism, religious intolerance, hate speech, instructional content and teacher preparation.
As part of the symposium, participants will also have the opportunity to participate in an Interactive Community Idea Board to share their valuable insights, engage and interact with each other, identifying takeaways throughout the day, and share their commitment and actions that could extend beyond the event and into the participants’ communities.
If you should have questions or require special accommodations to attend this event, please contact ceps@shu.edu.
How to Register
If you are a Seton Hall:
- Undergraduate who does *not* wish to receive credit
- Graduate student
- Alumnus/alumna
- Employee
- Member of the surrounding community (non-SHU)
If you are a Seton Hall undergraduate looking to earn credit, please register for AFAM 3291: MLK Day Symposium (CRN: 16822) via PirateNet.
*Undergraduate students looking to earn credit must attend the symposium in-person or virtually and register via PirateNet for the credit. Students participating virtually must access the course through the virtual link.
Thank you to our sponsor, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
This event was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities,
a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this event do not necessarily represent
those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the
Humanities.
Schedule of Events
| 8:45 a.m. | Musical and Historical Interlude – “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Morehouse Glee Club Choir |
| 9 - 11:30 a.m. | Morning Programs |
| Symposium Introduction Reverend Forrest Pritchett, Ph.D Director, Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program |
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| Statement of Academic Purpose Jonathan Farina, Ph.D. Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences |
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| Prayers for Peace and Harmony Clergy of the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Protestant Faith Traditions |
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| Litany for Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend Forrest Pritchett, Ph.D. Director, Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program |
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| Welcome from the Provost Katia Passerini, Ph.D. Provost and Executive Vice President |
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| Welcome Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D. President |
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Cultural Presentation and Keynote Introduction Table Facilitation |
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| Keynote Address Drew Hart, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Theology, Messiah University Program Director, Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice About the Speaker » |
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| The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and MLK Leadership and Intellectual Legacy Reverend Forrest Pritchett, Ph.D. Director, Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program |
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| "MLK Speaks on Leadership" Student Voices, MLK Scholars Class of 2028 |
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| 12 - 12:30 p.m. | Lunch Break and Table Facilitation |
| 12:45 - 4 p.m. | Afternoon Program / Faculty Presentations |
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MLK Leadership Program’s Impact on Seton Hall University |
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College Readiness |
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Racism, Privilege and Opportunity |
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Inequity and Injustice in Healthcare |
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Returning Citizen Project |
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Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy and Future Considerations; Africana Studies Faculty Panel
Presentations and discussions on paradigms and models for global justice. |
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Closing |
About Drew Hart, Ph.D., Keynote Speaker
Drew G. I. Hart is an Associate Professor of Theology at Messiah University, where he also serves as Program Director for Thriving Together: Congregations for Racial Justice. As a scholar rooted in Christian ethics, Black theology, and Anabaptism, Hart’s work studies white supremacy, liberation and peacemaking, and discipleship in the way of Jesus, with a focus on how the church can embody a radical and prophetic counter-witness against all death-dealing forces at work in our world.
Hart is the author of Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism (2016), Who Will Be A Witness?: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance (2020), and co-editor and contributor to Reparations and the Theological Disciplines: Prophetic Voices for Remembrance, Reckoning, and Repair (2023). His scholarship challenges the church to resist the distortions of Christian faith that justify racial injustice and social exploitation, instead calling for a Jesus-shaped discipleship that stands in solidarity with the least, last and little ones in society. Learn more »