Unlike most business schools, Bentley University students and faculty took a pause on their usual class and meeting schedules to take part in the 3rd Annual MLK Day of Action. Tuesday was kicked off by the 40th annual MLK breakfast, one that the Vice President, Chief of Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Katie Penn, spoke at while she attended Bentley as a member of the class of ‘96.
So how did this breakfast then become a full day of honor?
Professor Mary Marcel was the driving force behind creating the full day format. Marcel was involved in the breakfast planning committee for 20 years and is now the head of the MLK Day Planning Committee. Other faculty members across departments helped Marcel advocate for this day long celebration style.
A unique aspect is that the event is largely taken on by the Office of the Provost, having academics lead a majority of the organization.
The original MLK celebrations began in 1986, thanks to Penn’s predecessor, Dr. Earl Avery, who came to Bentley as a new Equal Opportunity Officer, with the award now given at the breakfast in his name. His thought was to have our community take a day to pause and reflect on Martin Luther King Jr’s impact. He truly wanted students to have a major role in the event, and that has remained true.
Sophomore Diana Buenrostro was asked to be a presenter by her sociology professor, Anne Walls, after presenting on the new Jim Crow Laws and their connection to mass incarceration within our system for a class assignment.
This was a topic she was very passionate about.
The turnout and engagement from students is high. Buenrostro attended three sessions on Tuesday, waking up at 8 a.m. to show up for fellow peerpresenters.
There is a variety of representation within each session where students are given the flexibility to create their schedules based on their passions.
“When you go to these sessions, it’s not just students, it’s not just faculty,” said Penn. “You are sitting at a table, and you are having conversations with a student you might not otherwise interact with or connect with an administrator or faculty member who you do not normally connect with.And I think that is really beautiful.”