SPOKANE, Wash. — To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, Eastern Washington University (EWU) has put together a “Empowerment Through Action” conference with four keynote speakers.
On Jan. 15, this conference will culminate in a day full of empowerment activities at the Spokane Convention Center.
Sanai Maraire, president of the Black Student Union at EWU, describes this empowerment conference as a way “to go out in your community and speak out about topics that other people are afraid to speak of.”
The four keynote speakers include:
City Council president Betsy Wilkerson will speak on activism in the 21st century.Dr. Oscar Harris with Spokane Public Schools who will discuss how to empower students of color through challenges and opportunities.Dr. Robin Kelley with Gonzaga who will talk about the role of faculty and staff in creating change.Then, Lisa Gardner with the City of Spokane will discuss the principles and practical tools of activism.
The Washington State Coalition for public good donated $2,000 to EWU to make this conference happen. Then the university used $5,000 of their own money to fulfill the additional costs with hopes of making this an annual event.
This event is fully open to the public and Kim Davis, the senior director for diversity and inclusion at EWU, says “I think every community member of Spokane should be a part of it. We’re all part of it. We’re all part of solutions and creating equity so this is something for everyone.”
In addition to this event, there are four other events to celebrate MLK day:
From 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., motivated speakers will meet the community in the main ballroom on the first floor of the convention center for a rally.At 11 a.m., the community will show spirit, unity and solidarity by marching about eight blocks around downtown Spokane.There will be a resource fair with over 40 booths helping the community understand the equity resources available in the Spokane area.
Davis says the timing of this conference is impeccable and this is the perfect time for our community to have these kinds of conversations.
As we head into Black History Month, this is a way to put activism into the communities minds. EWU urges the community to use this federal holiday as a “day on” rather than a day off.
For more information, go to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s Facebook page.
