Ridgewater College hosts Martin Luther King Day event on Willmar, Minnesota, campus

Jan. 17—WILLMAR

— After ten years without a celebration,

Ridgewater College

hosted an MLK Day event Monday, Jan. 15. The event offered guests a place to learn about and discuss the life and impact of pastor and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"We are really excited to do more events that bring more change to the community. It is changing, I have been in this community my whole life, I grew up in Raymond. I have seen a lot of things change and it is okay to talk about them," said City of Willmar Administrative Assistant and event organizer Abby Ahrendt.

The event featured a keynote presentation from Ridgewater Professor of Sociology Dr. Ronald Ferguson. Ferguson spoke about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how the ideals by which he lived his life can be applied today.

"There are a lot of people in the community that see the importance of coming together and assembling as a community to celebrate Dr. King but also to think about ways we need to continue on the journey towards inclusion and towards justice, all of those things that Dr. King gave us an example of," Ferguson said.

Also speaking at the event were Willmar Mayor Doug Reese and Ridgewater President Dr. Craig Johnson, who spoke about ways that the school and community identify gaps in demographics and how they are addressed.

A panel of speakers, including Ahrendt, Minnesota Department of Human Services Diversity Recruiter Shay Marlowe, John Salgado and Ridgewater students DeVonte Tyler and Sofyan Harbi, was asked questions about how panelists understand issues facing the community and what it is they would like to see in the future.

Much of the event acted as a call to action. In his keynote address, Ferguson spoke about the importance of community involvement in improving things. He highlighted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s emphasis on the community reaching their goals together.

"One of the things we need to do as we go through times of trial and tribulation is consider who we support, who we encourage, and who we bring with us. The thing I think Dr. King thought about who does it take to bring us to that beloved community, his thought was it takes everybody," Ferguson said.

The night highlighted local groups that work towards equity in the community. According to Ferguson, knowing what to do comes down to listening to the stakeholders and the people impacted by issues in the area.

"I would say as a community the next steps are rooted in unity, understanding and really our commitment to justice. I would say we need to bridge division, amplify marginalized voices and strive for positive change," Ahrendt said.

While the event marked a return of the celebration in the community, it is not likely to fade soon as more and more people push toward change in the community.

"It is okay to talk about. It should be a little scary but it shouldn't be something we can't express. It should be something we can normalize, talking about different people, different cultures, different everything because we are all different and that is beautiful," Ahrendt said.