College to Honor Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The College of the Holy Cross will hold the second annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Tuesday, Jan. 21 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Hogan Ballroom. The breakfast, co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education and the Diversity Leadership Team, will feature a keynote address by Dr. Damon Williams, senior vice president for programs, training, and youth development services for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, titled “Why We Can’t Wait: The Strategic Imperatives of Diversity in the New Economy.”

Williams, formerly the associate vice chancellor, vice provost, chief diversity officer, and faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is a leading expert on social responsibility, diversity, youth development, and institutional change. He is the author of "Strategic Diversity Leadership: Activating Change and Transformation in Higher Education" (Stylus Publishing, 2013) and the co-author of "The Chief Diversity Officer: Strategy, Structure, and Change Management" (Stylus Publishing, 2013).

“Damon Williams is a leading voice in linking issues of diversity through institutional  transformation, capacity building, and committed leadership,” says Mable Millner, associate dean of students for diversity and inclusion and director of multicultural education at the College. “In a clear, concise, and engaging manner he challenges current thinking and offers new insights for developing accountable, inclusive, and proactive methods for change.”

The breakfast is free and open to the public, and will also include a performance by the College choir.

On Monday, Jan. 20, the College will hold the 8th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon, co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education and the campus-wide Hate: Not Here! Committee, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. The luncheon, focused on identifying and encouraging the development of new leaders with compassion and sensitivity to issues of social justice, will include a keynote address by  Lisa Wong, mayor of Fitchburg, Mass. During the program, several students will offer reflections on Dr. King and Nelson Mandela.

The luncheon is being held as part of the Aptissimi: The Leadership Conference,” which invites student leaders to explore, develop and articulate their personal leadership styles. Aptissimi comes from a Jesuit philosophy of developing “as many as possible of the very best.”