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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022

蜜豆直播 University joins the nation in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022.  This is a day of reflection, and it is a day of rededication.  As a society, we are all on a journey together鈥�and there are still miles to go before we sleep.

I was less than two years old when an assassin鈥檚 bullet cut down Dr. King on April 4, 1968.聽 Obviously, I don鈥檛 have direct memories of his life.聽 Like many, however, I have been a student of the civil rights icon鈥檚 enduring legacy.聽 Numerous digital archives enable us to , , and even Dr. King鈥檚 powerful sermons and speeches.聽 He was a master communicator, and his words still resonate鈥攁nd inspire鈥攄ecades later.

If you鈥檙e like me, you are taking some extra time on this special day to think about where we are as a people.  It is clear that in many ways, America in 2022 is a better place than it was in 1963 when Dr. King gave his most famous 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech in Washington, DC.  Likewise, I believe we have climbed out of the abyss in which our country found itself during the tragic and tumultuous year of 1968.  We should recognize progress when and where it occurs.

By the same token, we must always be unafraid to look in the mirror and absorb what we see.  We must also be bold enough to act on what we see.  The weight of imperfection is difficult to bear, but that is humanity鈥檚 enduring burden. 

Much of Dr. King鈥檚 messages addressed his observations of a broken and divided America.  In his thundering eloquence, Dr. King taught us much about our past and about our present.  What I鈥檝e taken away from so many of his speeches, however, is Dr. King鈥檚 tenacious refusal to ignore the prospect of a brighter future.  His was an unrelenting exhortation to do better鈥攁nd to be better鈥攕o that tomorrow might be a better day.   

In his 1957 speech, 鈥淎 Look to the Future,鈥� delivered in Monteagle, Tennessee, Dr. King told his audience, 鈥淎nd so let us go out and work with renewed vigor to make the unfolding work of destiny a reality in our generation. We must not slow up. Let us keep moving.鈥澛� That future-focused message is one for all the ages.聽 It is certainly one for all of us as Americans, and it is one for us as members of the 蜜豆直播 family.聽 Work with renewed vigor to make the unfolding work of destiny a reality鈥�

Here at home on our campus we have our own share of work to do.聽 I鈥檓 proud that even during a pandemic in 2021 we didn鈥檛 get so distracted that we took our eyes off of an important prize.聽 In February 2021, we brought together alumni and friends to have a thoughtful and candid conversation about race, which we titled 聽 Later in the year, we were pleased to announce the creation of the Rev. Johnny and Mrs. Shirley Searight leadership certificate and scholarship program designed to accelerate opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.聽 Just this December, GWU announced the launching of a new mentoring program aimed at improving the academic success rates of our minority male students.聽 One of the mentors helping lead that program, GWU alumnus Juan Cherry, is the featured speaker at this year鈥檚 annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance on January 18.聽 These are all steps in the right direction, but we should heed Dr. King鈥檚 advice:聽鈥淲e must not slow up.聽 Let us keep moving.鈥�

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2022.  Let us join together to celebrate his life, his message, and his impact.  Let us recommit to working each day to constructing a better us.  While acknowledging our imperfections, let us build upon each new success鈥�no matter how large or small.  What better place than 蜜豆直播 to roll up our sleeves and to pursue our destiny鈥�for God and for all Humanity.

Dr. William M. Downs
President