BCC in Haverford's Bi-College News:Haverford Hosts MLK Symposium

by Daniel Kent

Jan. 29, 2008

[Nelson and Joyce Johnson of the BCC were invited to participate in an MLK Symposium at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. The symposium, featured in Haverford's student newspaper, was to discuss the ongoing legacy of King nad the Johnson's gave particular focus to the work of economic justice emerging from the Southern Faith, Labor & Community Alliance.]

Smooth Cole Porter music was quickly drowned out by the laughter and conversation by upwards of 60 individuals who attended the Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium on Saturday, January 26 in Stokes Auditorium. A panel of three social justice activists discussed experiences combating the status quo and making a difference in communities worldwide.

The Panel

Joyce Johnson, the first speaker and co-founder of the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, told of how she got started in social justice: “For me, it started at birth, officially being a baby-boomer, born in 1946.” She was born to a poor, single parent at home because her grandmother feared the white-run hospital.

As Johnson grew up in economic and racial segregation, she was inspired by Dr. King and has very fond memories of being in his presence twice, though she commented, “You always feel like you’re in the presence of Dr. King.”

Farah Mokhtareizadeh, a student at the University of Pennsylvania and world activist with the organization Voice in the Wilderness, then described her experiences involving justice around the world.

Mokhtareizadeh recounted how the words of Dr. King and author, poet and activist Audre Lorde stayed with her during missions in countries ranging from Lebanon to Iraq.

She said, “What we are doing after today is not only important for remembering the past, but for also calling on Dr. King’s living legacy.”

The final speaker, Michael Simmons, has been a human rights and social justice activist for over 40 years in a range of fields. After describing the formative effects of his early experiences in the civil rights and Vietnam eras, Simmons addressed several issues that face today’s world.

He mentioned the war on drugs, citing that accused individuals are discriminated based on skin color and drug intake method. He touched on other topics ranging from the War on Terror to the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian War.

In his closing, Simmons recalled inspiration from Dr. King: “Just like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, we too, have an obligation to take it to the next step.”

The panel was followed by four concurrent breakout sessions:

The Politics and Economics of Globalization

In this session, Reverend Alexia Salvatierra discussed the struggle for economic justice with a small group of students. She emphasized the strong role of multinational corporations in oppressing workers.

Salvatierra thinks this corporate threat is compounded by lenient American policy. “It’s not true anywhere else in the world that corporations have so much control and so much input into the political process,” she said.

Salvatierra said a critical mass is crucial in opposing corporate interests but noted that this mass can be smaller than many people imagine.

“We ultimately want a world in which there are no easy targets, but in the meantime, it doesn’t take much of a voice to make yourself not an easy target,” she said.

Creating the Beloved Community: Peace Building and Social Change

Reverend Nelson Johnson and human rights activist Michael Simmons engaged a group of twenty-six about issues discussed during the panel and how to create change. Topics included suffering and seeking help for personal projects involving diversity, youth, and Dr. King’s philosophies.

One participant said, “We really need more forums like this to spread knowledge and seek understanding and enlightenment from great individuals such as [Reverend Johnson and Mr. Simmons].”

Crossing the Intersections: Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality and Faith

Despite the title, this breakout session focused on the activist’s struggle. Led by Joyce Johnson, the conversation moved from introductions to “Haverapathy.” Jennifer Rodriguez ’10 said, “It’s very serious and it gets frustrating.” She vented that the same people show up to events. Emma Eisenberg ’09 added, “Predominantly women are involved in social justice at Haverford.”

Johnson responded, “If the same usual suspects show up, praise the Lord. At least they’re coming. Discouragement makes people stop when they’re making steps toward winning.”

Justice Here and There: Connecting International and Domestic Identities through Activism

During this session, a small group of students and professors discussed the difficulty of achieving social change with moderator Lorin Jackson ’08, who is currently extending research on the foundations of modern black consciousness.

Jackson dismissed the dichotomy of the American Dream versus the American Nightmare, a phrase coined by Martin Luther King, Jr. “Whether it’s a dream or a nightmare, they’re both still lies,” she said. “They’re not real.”

She also discussed the challenges surrounding addressing domestic inequality, noting that listening is vital to progress, and personal emotions, particularly a sense of defensiveness, deter activism at home.

Michael Novinson and Genna Cherichello contributed to this article.

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