24rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Colleges of the Fenway held the 24th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration virtually for faculty and staff on Friday, January 28, 2022. The Massachusetts College of Art and Design hosted over 200 faculty and staff for a morning of deep reflection across the COF Community.
Attendees were welcomed to the event by Justine Caron, Executive Director of Human Resources at MassArt. Mary Grant, President of MassArt, delivered a personal and powerful introduction to the guest speakers. The keynote speaker was Imari Jeffries, Executive Director of King Boston.
The event also highlighted performances from the COF Center for Performing Arts. The celebration included a pre-recorded dramatic reading of the testimony of civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. The reading was performed by Nadel Henville, a member of the COF Theater ensemble and Senior Theater Arts student at Emmanuel College. The program concluded with the COF Jazz Band, under the direction of Jason Whiting, performing Take the A Train, composed by Billy Strayhorn, and lyrics by Joya Sherrill .
COF continued the tradition of recognition through the MLK Inclusive Service Award, this year given to Gary Bailey, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and Social Justice at the College of Social Sciences, Policy and Practice at Simmons University.
Special Thanks to the MLK Celebration Planning Committee!
Claire Ramsbottom, Colleges of the Fenway
Kristen Young, Colleges of the Fenway
Scott Lerner, Emmanuel College
Fillette Lovaincy, Emmanuel College
LaTanya Maxwell, Simmons University
Christina Webber, Simmons University
Karene Alexander Thorne, Simmons University
Melanie DeSantis, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Lorelai Thomas, MCPHS
Lorraine Ng, MCPHS
Brenda Bailey, MassArt
Claudia Ascrizzi, MassArt
Justine, Caron, MassArt
Sophie Jampel, MassArt