This year’s lineup of events includes a convocation with author and philosophy professor Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, two workshops teaching participants how to create their own handmade soap, and two sessions demonstrating the use and benefits of a spicy, vinegar-based tonic known as “fire cider.” All events are open to the public.

The celebration is themed “Beyond the Dream: Social Justice and Ecological Consciousness” and centers around the words of Dr. King’s “A Christmas Sermon on Peace” speech from 1967:

It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects on directly, affects all indirectly.

The chosen theme closely aligns with the university theme of sustainability for the 2025-26 academic year. “That was intentional,” said Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services at EMU and chair of the committee planning the celebration. “This is a good time in our country to remember that not everyone is equally privileged and that we should really pay attention to Dr. King’s quote. We are all interconnected, and it’s a great time to practice self-care and self-awareness, recognizing that everyone’s journey is different.”

Monday’s events start at 9:45 a.m. in University Commons with a Unity March around the indoor track. The march will proceed to Lehman Auditorium, where an open forum-style Speak Out event will be held at 10 a.m.

Convocation

Convocation at 10:15 a.m. in Lehman Auditorium will be led by , an associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown University and a fellow at the Climate and Community Institute. Táíwò is the author of Elite Capture and Reconsidering Reparations, a contributor to Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book, and a past recipient of a Marguerite Casey Freedom Scholar fellowship. His presentation will be livestreamed on and uploaded to the EMU .

“A lot of his work is around social justice reparations and how it connects to sustainability, which we’ll hear in his speech,” Thomas said. “He really fits what we want to do and the message we want to convey.”

Following his convocation, a soul food lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northlawn Cafeteria. From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Táíwò will lead a Q&A session at the MainStage Theater (University Commons 170). 

Soapmaking

In the afternoon, two “Skin Sabbath” soapmaking sessions led by Simone McKelvey of Simone & Tuesday will be held in University Commons 211/212. The first session will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second session will be from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Limited space is available for participation and advance is required. Seats will be available for unregistered participants who can watch the demonstrations.

Simone & Tuesday is a natural skincare solutions company founded on the belief that healthier skin should be natural, affordable, and for everyone. Through her soapmaking sessions, McKelvey teaches small groups how to make their own all-natural, personal care products.

“We held an event called ‘Hairitage’ last February with BSA during Black History Month, where students made their own hair products, and it was packed,” Thomas said. “That helped me realize that this generation of students responds well to hands-on activities. They enjoy the opportunity to take something home with them when they leave.”

Fire cider

A pair of fire cider workshops led by Kinfolk Farm will be held at the Old Common Grounds space (University Commons 177) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. Limited space is also available for participation in this event and so advance is required. Seats will be available for unregistered participants who can watch the demonstrations.

The Black woman-led farm in rural West Virginia is dedicated to nourishing the brilliance, creativity, and legacy of Black, indigenous people of the Global Majority. At Kinfolk Farm, food sovereignty, land liberation, and healing justice are daily practices woven into the way they plant, harvest, cook, and gather in community.

Participants in these two interactive sessions will learn the history of fire cider along with its traditional wellness practices. They’ll also be invited to try a sample! The spicy, tangy folk remedy is often used to support the immune system and is typically made by infusing apple cider vinegar with ingredients such as horseradish, ginger, garlic, onion, hot peppers, and honey. 

Climate simulation

A world climate simulation facilitated by Levi Clymer ’25, EMU event operations coordinator, will be held from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. at the University Commons Student Union. Participants in this interactive exercise will act out the roles of international delegates at a United Nations summit and negotiate a global agreement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. is also needed to participate in this event.

In case of changes to events due to inclement weather, visit for updates.

When Eastern Mennonite Seminary Professor David Evans set out to write his book about religious white progressives in the fight for Black freedom, he didn’t expect that his main thesis would flip by nearly 180 degrees.

“I thought I was going to be writing about white allies who could be exemplars for other white people in predominantly white institutions,” said Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies and associate dean of the seminary. “And then I stumbled onto some problems and thought, Maybe we should spend some time talking about where we’re going wrong.”

After seven years of research and writing, Damned Whiteness: How White Christian Allies Failed the Black Freedom Movement is just weeks away from publication. The book, published by The University of North Carolina Press and due out on Oct. 28, offers an unflinching history of white allies—namely Clarence Jordan, Dorothy Day, and Ralph Templin—and the fracturing relationships that followed when their strategies and philosophies didn’t align with Black leaders and communities.

“That’s what my book is trying to figure out: if both groups were willing to put in all this energy and risk their lives to end Jim Crow segregation, why couldn’t they work together?” Evans said. “I’m suggesting that part of it is a kind of arrogance, a haughtiness, that white folks believe they know better than Black people about what needs to be done.”

Damned Whiteness explores the work of three white allies: Jordan, founder of Koinonia Farm, an interracial Christian community in Americus, Georgia, and spiritual father of Habitat for Humanity; Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement; and Templin, a Christian missionary who studied nonviolence in Gandhi’s India. The 302-page book serves as both a warning and call to action, but also as a lament, reflecting on what went wrong and what could have been.

Rather than confronting the systems and economic structures that reinforced racial inequality, these white allies focused more narrowly on creating spaces to cultivate interracial friendships, Evans said. “Had they been able to come together with Black folks to really hear what they were saying, see what they were doing, and join in solidarity with them around freedom instead of just trying to be friends, I’m curious to see what could have happened.” 

Evans is set to present his book at George Mason University in November and has also been invited to appear on several podcasts to discuss it. 

Rev. Dr. Sarah Bixler, dean of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences division, said the book is expected to make a splash after its release. “This book represents the kind of critical historical scholarship that we value at EMU,” she said. “Thanks to our expert faculty’s commitment to researching and writing with integrity, Dr. Evans’ book will drive important conversations in religion and society deeper, and open new opportunities for our students to engage with this level of work.”

About the professor

Evans is co-editor of Between the World of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Christianity (Cascade, 2018). His teaching and research focus on the braided identity categories of race, religion, and nation.

He holds a master’s degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, in the history of Christianity, a second master’s from Drew University in historical studies, and a doctorate degree in historical studies from Drew University Graduate Division of Religion. In concert with his teaching and scholarship, Evans practices a local “eco-lutionary” lifestyle that promotes a sustainable future for the diverse people of the Shenandoah Valley Watershed.

In addition to the publisher’s website, the book is available to preorder at online booksellers including , , and .

��ݮ���� will host the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Sunday, Jan. 19, and Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.

This year’s MLK Day is themed “Radical Truth-telling” and centers around the words of a 1947 essay written by King while at Morehouse College: “Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.” 

A film screening of “Black Wall Street Burning” will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday has been postponed until Monday, January 27. The film is a retelling of the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, when mobs of white residents attacked Black residents and destroyed homes and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A talkback session will follow the screening. 

Monday’s activities include a 9:45 a.m. Unity March in University Commons, a 10 a.m. Speak Out at Lehman Auditorium, and a 10:15 a.m. Convocation featuring Jodie Geddes MA ’16. Geddes, co-author of The Little Book of Racial Healing, advocate for racial healing and justice, and international speaker on restorative justice, will deliver a talk on “Radical Truth-telling.”

Other events on Monday include a soul food lunch at Northlawn Cafeteria, circle processes facilitated by the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding, a Black hair care and free cuts event, and a session on the history of Harrisonburg’s Ida Mae Francis Guest House. This last event, hosted by Professor Mark Sawin, is from 1:30-3 p.m. in University Commons 176.

A three-part “Resistance and Rest” workshop, hosted by Geddes, will be held from 3-5 p.m. in the Studio Theater. The workshop will engage in journaling, meditation and therapeutic processes.

Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services at EMU and chair of the committee planning the celebration, said this year’s theme of “Radical Truth-telling” challenges us to embrace Dr. King’s vision by confronting uncomfortable truths and fostering honest dialogue about our shared history and future.

“Through these events, which reflect EMU’s values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and active faith, we hope to inspire our community to engage in meaningful reflection and action,” Thomas said.

About the Convocation speaker

Jodie Geddes holds an MA in conflict transformation from EMU’s Center for Justice & Peacebuilding. While at EMU, Geddes explored the intersections of peacebuilding, restorative justice and systems change. She works with , providing support for community members experiencing crises with mental wellness as well as other community resources. She is the co-manager for , a nonprofit affiliated with EMU that provides training and resources for communities and individuals to explore the history and legacy of enslavement.

The celebration, held on the Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus from Saturday, Jan. 13, to Monday, Jan. 15, is themed “Remember, Celebrate, Thrive.”

“We need to remember that a lot of people are standing on the shoulders of giants who came before us during the Civil Rights Movement,” said Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services at EMU and chair of the committee planning the celebration. “We have to remember their sacrifice and all their hard work, but we also have to celebrate the accomplishments that came out of that. So, we celebrate what has been achieved and then stand on those shoulders so we can thrive as a community.”

A wide range of activities and events will honor the iconic civil rights leader:

Saturday, Jan. 13

11 a.m.-2 p.m. — Northeast Neighborhood tour: Monica Robinson, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, will lead a tour of the Northeast Neighborhood, a historic community built by and for African-Americans in Harrisonburg following the Civil War. 

Stops along the tour include the Bethel AME Church, with information about the neighboring Dallard-Newman House, and discussions and lunch provided at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center. Rides from EMU will depart from the Black Lives Matter mural in front of the University Commons at 10:30 a.m. Registration is required to attend the tour, and is available online at emu.edu/mlk.

Sunday, Jan. 14

6 p.m. — Screening of Rustin: A biopic of Bayard Rustin, adviser to MLK and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, will be shown in the MainStage Theater on Sunday evening. The film, released in November, stars actor Colman Domingo as the title character and Chris Rock as activist Roy Wilkins. Rustin faced struggles not only because of his race, but also his sexuality as an openly gay Black man. 

“The Civil Rights Movement was a diverse movement of people from all spectrums of ethnicity, religion and sexuality,” Thomas said. 

A talk-back session after the screening will discuss the film (runtime: one hour, 46 minutes; rating: PG-13) and answer questions. 

Monday, Jan. 15

9:15 a.m. — Solidarity March: A silent march will proceed from the BLM mural outside University Commons to Lehman Auditorium to kick off Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

“Marches were what happened throughout the Movement,” Thomas said. “You had the March on Washington, the march between Selma and Montgomery, you had marches in Memphis, to show solidarity.” 

Students are invited to create posters in the Student Life office on Sunday night to display during the march.

“It’s a silent march, so that people are concentrating and reflecting on the movement and how it has supported them and how it affects them today,” Thomas said. 

9:30 a.m. — Speak Out: Following the march, EMU students, faculty and staff and other community members are encouraged to share their thoughts, feelings, music, poetry and anything else supporting the celebration’s theme at Lehman Auditorium. 

“People will have an opportunity to come to the microphone and share in whichever way they want to share,” Thomas said. 

The event will wrap up with a preselected student monologue.

10 a.m. — Black & 25 in America: Playwright and actor Jeremy Gillett will perform his one-man show, Black & 25 in America, at Lehman Auditorium. The Kentucky native portrays five different characters in a series of vignettes about the lives of young Black people in America that explores the issues of race, class, gender and identity. 

A talk-back session will offer audience members a chance to engage with him after the performance. 

12:30 p.m. — Lunch at Northlawn Cafeteria: A special soul food-inspired menu will be served at the dining hall. “I want to give credit to Dining Services, Pioneer College Caterers, and to Food Service Director Shannon Grinnan for working with us on that special menu for the day,” Thomas said. Regular dining charges will apply for the lunch. 

2 p.m. — Convocation featuring the VUU Gospel Choir: Hailing from Richmond, the Virginia Union University Gospel Choir will perform at Lehman Auditorium. In October, the historically Black university invited the EMU Chamber Singers to perform on its stage with them and Grammy Award-winning artist Hezekiah Walker during a live recording. You can read more about the partnership between the two schools here. 

EMU Music Program Director David Berry will open Convocation with a medley, followed by remarks from EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman, Thomas and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed. After a series of songs from the VUU Gospel Choir, the EMU Chamber Singers will join them for a performance of I Need You to Survive.

Those attending Convocation are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to donate for the food drive.

7 p.m. — There is a Field screening: A showing of the movie There is a Field inside the old Common Grounds space will round off the MLK Jr. Celebration on Monday evening. The movie mirrors the struggles of Palestinian activists in Israel with members of Black communities in the U.S. It will be followed by a talk-back session, cosponsored by Tim Seidel, Trina Nussbaum and the Center for Interfaith Engagement. This event has been postponed due to inclement weather

All events, other than the lunch on Monday, are free to attend. For more information about the performers and events, visit emu.edu/mlk. 

Thomas credited the EMU Black Student Alliance and Tyler Goss, director for student engagement and leadership development, for their help.

“I think, if people come out,” Thomas said, “they’ll learn something not only about other people, but also about themselves.”

Dr. John A. Lapp ’54, a history professor at Eastern Mennonite College during the Civil Rights Movement who helped lead the charge for local school desegregation, died on Dec. 5 at the age of 90. 

Remembered by many for his strongly held opinions and his booming belly laugh, Lapp died at the Waterford Crossing retirement community in Goshen, Indiana, where he had been living since 2011. A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held at a later date at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. An obituary with further details is available to read .

Lapp also held distinguished careers at Goshen College and at Mennonite Central Committee. He was the 2015 recipient of EMU’s Distinguished Service Award.

Born on March 15, 1933, in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, Lapp was the first of nine siblings. He served as a mentor to his younger sisters and brothers, including Joseph, who would become the seventh president of EMC, and EMU, from 1987 to 2003.

“He was the one who was breaking the ground in education and he was a big reader,” said President Emeritus Joseph Lapp ’66. “He was the one who paid attention to politics, and so he stimulated a lot of discussion in our home.”

John Lapp earned a bachelor’s degree in history from EMC in 1954. He later received a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

Life at Eastern Mennonite College

After two years of alternative service as a conscientious objector to the military draft, he returned to EMC to teach as a history professor from 1956 to 1969. During his tenure as a professor, he was active in the Civil Rights Movement and, along with several friends and faculty members, participated in the landmark “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

The professor also was instrumental in the formation of the local chapter of the Virginia Council on Human Relations. The “biracial organization sought to improve interracial relations through support of educational programs, school desegregation, fair employment practices and other related issues” (EMU News).

Following a campus visit from African-American Mennonite activists Vincent and Rosemarie Harding in 1963, John Lapp and fellow EMC history professor Samuel Horst, newly inspired, formed the committee largely responsible for the desegregation of Harrisonburg, Virginia, schools and hotels. Lapp and Harding were “major players in Harrisonburg’s ‘Concern Movement’ that pushed the city schools to desegregate,” according to EMU history professor Mark Metzler Sawin.

Joseph Lapp, who was 10 years younger than John, recalled his time as an EMC student in his brother’s History of Western Civilization class. “He would lecture almost nonstop for a whole hour,” he said. “He held everybody’s attention. And, if you talked to alumni of that time period, they’ll say that was probably their favorite course and that he was their favorite professor.”

Life after EMC

John Lapp left EMC in 1969 with his wife Mary Alice Weber ’55 and their three children to direct the Peace Section at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Akron, Pennsylvania. He later served as executive secretary of MCC from 1985 to 1996. A wonderfully in-depth writeup on his life can be read on .

In between those two stints, he served Goshen College for 12 years. Lapp was academic dean of the Mennonite school from 1972 to 1981 and provost from 1979 to 1984. To read more about his impact at Goshen, read their story about him .

Following his retirement in 1996, he spent 16 years leading a Mennonite World Conference project known as the Global Mennonite History Project. He fundraised and supervised an international team that ultimately produced five separate published volumes on Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia and North America. In addition to that, he taught courses at Bishop’s College in India, Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and at EMU’s Lancaster campus. 

Joseph Lapp shared an anecdote about his brother he’s heard others tell around campus. One day when John was teaching a history class in the lower level of Lehman Auditorium, noise from the physical plant kept interrupting him.

“They were pounding and making noise and it was interfering with the lecture. So, he said, ‘OK, we’re all going to go to the administration building’ — and it had these open stairways going up to the second floor; this was the old building, not the current one. So, he had his class sit on those steps and he stood at the center and continued to lecture there for the rest of the period just to make his point about the interference that was occurring.”