Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to properly name the director of Muslim student life.
Members of the Lehigh community gathered today for two events held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Committee hosted a community breakfast in the Wood Dining Room at Iacocca Hall, followed by a Unity Walk through Asa Packer Campus. Both events had been rescheduled from Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, due to inclement weather.
Around 40 students and faculty members attended the catered community breakfast, where quotes from King and reflective questions regarding his legacy were displayed on the tables to encourage discussion.
Professor Chris Burke, co-chair of the committee who serves alongside Lori McClaind, associate dean of students, said the committee aims to celebrate King’s life and legacy year-round through various events.
He said this year marked the first time the committee hosted the breakfast and the unity walk in years, both held with the hope of fostering meaningful conversations about King’s legacy.
“A lot of negative forces are present in the world right now that divide us,” Burke said. “It’s in that context that we need the message of people like Dr. King, and we need the inspiration to fight for what’s right in spite of the circumstances.”
As guests prepared their plates and settled at their tables, opening remarks were delivered by President Joseph Helble and Henry Odi, deputy vice president for equity and community.
Helble and Odi reminded guests of the significance of King’s legacy and highlighted Lehigh’s history of equity initiatives to advance diversity and inclusion.
Helble said he has heard concerns from community members about recent executive orders issued following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, which call for “the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility’ mandates.”
Helble said he believes the work of the commemoration committee represents the “hard and necessary work to help (everyone) feel a sense of community and belonging” at Lehigh, particularly in the face of the recent federal policies.
He also said being welcoming to every individual at Lehigh is something that all organizations and individuals should practice.
Those efforts “not only must continue, they will continue,” Helble said.
Following the breakfast, about 30 students and faculty members congregated near the Clayton University Center flagpole to hear members of the Office of the University Chaplain speak at the Unity Walk.
Burke said the intention of the walk was to create a sense of harmony among members of the Lehigh community who may hold different beliefs and unite them through a shared effort of memorializing King.
“Lehigh does a good job of creating spaces where people can co-exist and learn together,” Burke said. “The Unity Walk is a way of expressing that we are all connected as a force for good in the world.”
Rabbi Steve Nathan, Chaplain Lloyd Steffen and Tariq Ameer, director of Muslim student life, delivered sermons connecting King’s ideals to the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.
Mel Kitchen, a committee member and Pride Center coordinator, said it was important to hear from spiritual leaders on campus to honor King’s spirituality as a reverend.
“Some of the same things that Dr. King and others like him were fighting for are some of the same problems we are fighting for and are even more nuanced,” Ameer said.
Lehigh’s men’s and women’s soccer teams also attended the walk, which began following the sermons.
Sam Davis, ‘26, a member of the men’s soccer team, said the team is a diverse and close-knit group of students. Although he thinks it could have prompted logistical difficulties, Davis said he believes students and faculty should have had the holiday off to commemorate King.
Cyndea Labissiere, ‘27, a member of the women’s soccer team, shared a similar sentiment to Davis and said the day is important domestically and internationally.
“A lot of other schools had the day off, and I think Lehigh should have followed,” she said.
Kitchen said holding the walk four days after the intended date on Jan. 20 provided a multifaceted support space for those impacted by President Trump’s executive orders, which were enacted on the same day as the holiday.
“It was even more important for us to be together as a community,” Kitchen said. “People are scared, and we’re naming that.”
The walk lasted 10 minutes, forming a circle around Linderman Library and down to STEPS, where participants were invited to enjoy hot chocolate and converse.
Kitchen said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Committee is looking to host more events on campus to celebrate King’s mission and increase student participation in the group.
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