13^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Day of Service

• Hanna Community Center
• Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM)
• Willowstone Family Services 

"Gaining Ground” Film screening + Q&A Discussion
12:00-2:00PM (updated time) IN-Person only 
Deans Auditorium in PFendler Hall 241

In just a few decades after the end of enslavement, Black Americans were able to amass millions of acres of farmland. Today approximately 90% of that land is no longer in Black hands. Various factors have been employed to take Black land including violence, eminent domain and government discrimination. But it is a little-known issue, Heirs’ Property which has had a devastating effect on Black land ownership. Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land from Emmy Nominated Director Eternal Polk examines the causes, effects, and what is being done to fight the exploitation of this law and how landowners are reclaiming their agricultural legacy and creating paths to generational wealth.

The event includes a post-screening Q&A with documentary filmmaker Eternal Polk.  

Dance Theatre of Harlem
FREE event
6PM, Elliot Hall of Music 

Founded in 1969, the Dance Theatre of Harlem is an institution of unparalleled global acclaim, and the 18-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that uses the language of ballet to celebrate the belief that the art form belongs to everyone. Dance Theatre of Harlem is not just a dance company– they are a singular presence in the ballet world, an elegant example of what is possible when an inclusive approach to art is allowed to evolve and thrive.

The performance at Purdue will include works set to a variety of musical styles including “Higher Ground” (Stevie Wonder), Allegro (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), and Blake Works (James Blake). 

Get Free Tickets

“Linguistic Justice”
with Dr. April Baker-Bell
Keynote Speaker 12-1:30PM, 
Faculty/Staff Workshop 2-3:30PM  RSVP for Location

DR. APRIL BAKER-BELL is an award-winning transdisciplinary teacher-researcher-activist and Associate Professor of Language, Culture, and Justice in Education at the University of Michigan in the Marsal Family School of Education. Dr. Baker-Bell will give a keynote presentation and workshop related to her award- winning book, Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy, brings together theory, research, and practice to dismantle Anti-Black Linguistic Racism (a term Baker-Bell coined) and white linguistic supremacy.  

Keynote:  "Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy"
In this talk, Dr. April Baker-Bell will discuss how anti-Black linguistic racism and white linguistic supremacy get normalized in teacher attitudes, curriculum and instruction, pedagogical approaches, disciplinary discourse, policy, and research, and she will discuss the impact these decisions have on students’ language education and their linguistic, racial, and intellectual identities. Dr. Baker-Bell will introduce a new way forward through Antiracist Language Pedagogy.

Workshop: "Linguistic Justice: From Theory to Praxis"
This interactive workshop will support participants in thinking about how to integrate the ideas from Linguistic Justice into praxis. This guided workshop will include activity-based exercises, such as reflection/reflection activities, syllabus design, and strategies for teaching. This guided workshop also comes with a digital workbook that participants can download to continue to learn from. 

Service Opportunities for Faculty, Staff, and Students
Hands on Service 12:00-1:00 pm, aBE Building High Bay
Food/Item Drive - All week 1/16-1/19/24 - AGAD 106

In-Person:  Laundry Soap Making:  We will be making DIY laundry soap using provided ingredients and filling empty water bottles with the soap mixture. These bottles will be distributed to our neighbors while shopping at Food Finders' Mobile Pantries and/or given to their Agency Partners for them to stock on their shelves. This activity will be held in the High Bay of the Ag and Biological Engineering Building (on the back side of the building close to the Harrison Parking Garage) 

Drop-Off: Bring items to the Office of Multicultural Programs in AGAD 106 between January 16-19th 

Birthday Box supplies:  you can drop off pre-packaged ingredients to be used for making birthday boxes for our neighbors using the Food Finders Market.   Suggested items include: a box of cake mix, frosting, and small extras (candles, coloring books, birthday cards) in an aluminum foil pan. Items may also be dropped off at the Fresh Market facility (2200 Elmwood Avenue Suite C7) directly across the street from the Payless Grocery store. Just mention that the items are for birthday boxes!  

Supplies for Permanent Supportive Housing through the Lafayette Transitional Housing Council
These items will be for people moving into new housing OR to the low-income current tenants who need a few critical items. 

• Twin size sheets
• New bed pillows
• laundry detergent
• all-purpose cleaner
• scrubby dish cloths
• dish drainers
• cooking utensils (for non-stick pans)
• pots and pan sets
• coffee makers

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace
Panel Discussion, 12:00-1:30 pm
Deans Auditorium in PFendler Hall 241

The panel of BIPOC leaders in industry will discuss strategies for supporting diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace.  The College of Agriculture's Unsung Diversity Hero Awards will also be presented at the beginning of this session. 

Unsung Hero Awards were presented by Gerald Shively, Associate Dean, Director International Programs in Agriculture 

Moderator: James Monger, former Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leader, Cargill’s Agricultural Business in North America 

Panelists:

• Alex Pettigrew, Early Outreach Coordinator Purdue Admissions
• Brandon Allen, Assistant Research Professor, School of Engineering Education; ASPIRE ERC; Director for Diversity & Culture of Inclusion
• Brandon Bell, Syngenta, Diversity and Inclusion Lead