DR KING DAY AT PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE.
PC’s celebration of MLK Jr. Day ‘Starts With Me’
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of creating "the beloved community" drives Presbyterian College's celebration this year to honor King's incredible legacy.
Following this year's national theme – "It Starts With Me: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems" – the PC community of students, faculty, and staff worked together to develop an entire day of events for the Jan. 16 holiday.
Dr. Selena Blair, PC's Ingram-Rogers Vice President for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, said her first celebration of MLK Day on campus is a shared community event.
"I am elated about everyone's eagerness to come together and honor the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," Blair said. "As we work together to establish a more welcoming, empowering, and nurturing environment at PC for all who live, learn, work and visit here, it is befitting that our focus on MLK Day and in the days to follow are on providing a plethora of opportunities for learning, open dialogue, and community engagement."
MLK Day at PC gets underway with community and on-campus service events. "Service in Action" is from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday through partnerships with Keeping Laurens Beautiful, the Clinton Community Garden, and Bethany Presbyterian Church.
On campus, participants can help make cards from 9 a.m. to noon in Springs Campus Center for each resident at the local retirement center, Clinton Presbyterian Community.
The Blue Hose Athletics Department is sponsoring a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Greenville Dining Hall parking lot. The Blood Connection will offer donors a $20 eGift card and a bonus $50 eGift card.
PC's National Coalition Building Institute affiliate team is leading a workshop from 1-4 p.m. The NCBI is an international leadership organization that provides diversity, equity, and inclusion training for organizations, schools, college campuses, corporations, and law enforcement.
The college community can also engage in dinner and dialogue during dining hours in GDH. Each table will have conversation starter cards prompting conversations about diversity, unity, strengthening communities, and the role of individuals in manifesting change at PC.
The college's celebration of MLK Day culminates with a keynote address by Thornwell president, the Rev. Myron Wilkins, at 6 p.m. in Edmunds Hall.
Wilkins began serving as Thornwell's 10th president in March 2022 and is a passionate advocate for children, youth, and families impacted by trauma, poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and other life challenges. Through his extensive work and training, he has gained a broad knowledge of the obstacles to prosperity experienced by many in the U.S. He is a proven innovator in developing strategies that impact underserved communities.
A Philadelphia, Pa., native, Wilkins earned a bachelor's degree in social work from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and a master's degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He and his wife, Anna, have been married for 35 years and are the proud parents of three adult sons.
