The theme for this year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is "Just Living — Celebrating the African Diaspora."
This year's celebration will be co-hosted by the Black Student Union and will feature contemporary artist Bryant Terry as our central speaker for the event. Bryant Terry is a James Beard Leadership and NAACP Image Award-winning chef, educator, and author renowned for his activism to create a healthy, just, and sustainable food system.
On Wednesday, Bryant will start off the celebrations at our Portland campus, PNCA, where he will address food and art, and how his work has sought to improve food security utilizing plant-based recipes.
On Thursday, we invite students to join us on the Salem campus for Convocation in Cone Chapel to discuss Bryant's book, "Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora." If students have not signed up for the book club, they can get a free copy of "Black Food" while supplies last. Students and faculty can join the book club now by clicking the link attached. That evening, the BSU will be co-hosting a Cook-In at Goudy Commons, which will feature a cooking class from Bryant with foods from across the African Diaspora. Goudy will also be hosting a themed dinner that night where they will be utilizing some of his recipes.
On Friday, join your fellow Willamette students in giving back to the Salem community as part of Into the Streets. Into the Streets will feature several service projects throughout Salem where students can work to directly combat food insecurity in our community. That evening, Bryant will deliver the primary lecture for the celebrations, which will serve as an Atkinson Lecture and a Lear lecture in Smith Auditorium, where he'll provide an engaging talk to include a cooking demonstration with the whole community in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
On Saturday, the Black Student Union will host A Celebration of the African Diaspora—A block party culminating the week.