Social justice week event to mark King birthday

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will mark the Jan. 15 birthday of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a week of social justice activities.

“Dr. King believed in the power of service to others, emphasizing that everyone has a responsibility to contribute to their communities for collective impact,” said Angela Wolfe, associate dean of student affairs. “One aspect of his legacy that remains particularly relevant is the importance of community leadership through volunteerism. It reminds us of the importance of service to others and volunteering not only honors his memory but also serves as a catalyst for positive change.”

While the university is closed and classes are not in session on Jan. 15, students will travel to Canticle Farm in Allegany, N.Y., to work on the Community Supported Agriculture vegetable farm. Other students will take part in a service project at the Bradford Ecumenical Home.

On campus that day, students and members of the public can take part in a writing project from 1 to 3 p.m. in Special Dining Rooms A and B in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Participants can write messages of hope and encouragement for members of the Pitt-Bradford community or take part in advocacy writing on behalf of the Seneca Nation of Indians and prison reform efforts.

On Jan. 17, the university will sponsor a panel discussion about education and homelessness that is open to the public. The event will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Speakers will include Bobbi Mead, director of housing and employment services at the YWCA Bradford who will discuss efforts to alleviate homelessness and food insecurity in the area, and Sarah Tingley, principal of School Street Elementary School who will address what works and what more needs to be done for students in the Bradford Area School District. Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo, associate professor of education and director of teacher education, will moderate.

The final public event of the week will be an art exhibition by creative writing instructor Karen Bell, community members and students from Pitt-Bradford and Alfred (N.Y.) State University.

A public opening for the exhibition, “Celebrating Trans Life & Remembering Our Dead,” will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 19 in the KOA Speer Electronics Lobby of Blaisdell Hall. The exhibition will be on display in the KOA Art Gallery in Blaisdell Hall through Jan. 31. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

Local artist Matt Graves described the complicated relationships of trans and queer teens to their childhoods and identities. “Many queer art pieces are about pain, loss, and tragedy as that’s a big part of our struggle, but tragedy alone is not enough to sustain a community. My digital piece ‘For My Dearest Lake and Fog’ is a simple depiction of young queer love. … I think all of us, trans or cisgender, require honesty and acceptance.”

The epidemic of violence against the transgender community is the reason for the “Remembering Our Dead” pieces, Bell said. “The illustrations give witness to victim stories, honor the nuances of their lives and identities outside of victimization, and provide a concrete visual for the staggering rate of recorded violence in the last few years.” They include a list of the recorded dead from the last 53 years and four art books illustrating some of those stories. 

--30--