Gianna Hayes
News Editor
from @wooinsider
The Martin Luther King Junior (MLK) planning committee kicked off their schedule of events to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast and Keynote Address on Monday, Jan. 20.
The event began at 9 a.m. in Kittredge Dining Hall with an address by the Henry J. Copeland Interfaith Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, the Rev. Erin Guzmán. President Anne McCall, next to speak, acknowledged the various moving parts behind organizing the week of events and spoke on the importance of unwavering commitment to kindness, justice and strategic organizing.
Rev. Enikő Ferenczy of Westminster Presbyterian Church was unable to attend, but Guzmán led a responsive prayer on her behalf, meant to inspire justice and reflection on possible futures.
Immediately following the invocation was a performance of “Sweet Hour of Prayer” by Ben Low ’26 on the piano.
Student speakers from various faiths then provided readings and offerings, beginning with Avion Kirts ’27 who shared a passage and reflections from Matthew 5.
Taylor Grant ’26 offered a reading from a pagan perspective, highlighting the importance of togetherness and community-building.
Following Grant was Stuart Franklin ’26, who provided a meditation on Deuteronomy and the meaning of ‘tzedek,’ or justice, in the context of the pursuit of equity.
Mikayla Metzger, the Catholic Campus Minister, led the Litany of Liberty, a prayer adapted from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, followed by another performance from Low, “My Soul Cries Out (Canticle of the Turning).”
Randal Maurice Jelks, an award-winning author, documentary filmmaker and professor of African American and African diaspora studies at Indiana University, provided the keynote address for this year’s programming.
Drawing on his recent publication, “Letters to Martin: Meditations on Democracy in Black America,” Jelks spoke of King’s exhaustion on being perceived as the singular spearhead for the Civil Rights Movement. He consistently returned to the strategy of “sing[ing] the fear out,” emphasizing the importance of community and coalition.
Returning to the theme, Jelks spoke on the importance of focusing on local movements and efforts.
“Democracy is always a dream … and that’s a dream that we should treasure … and rub like a rosary or prayer beads.”
He also urged Wooster students to use their education to become politically involved in the democratic system. “Part of the great thing of living a robust life is to engage in a ceaseless effort to sustain life on our planet,” he said, finishing out the keynote address.
Mareece Love ’25 then led a question and answer session about Jelks’ aforementioned recently published “Letters to Martin,” a collection of essays in an epistolary format. Low closed out the morning programming with a rendition of “Guide My Feet,” an African American spiritual, before Guzmán offered closing remarks and acknowledgments.
