The Michigan Community Scholars Program hosted the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Circle of Unity” event Monday afternoon. Over 50 people gathered in the LSA Building Atrium to watch students and local artists perform music, dance and share spoken word poetry in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
The event opened with remarks from MCSP Director Christine Modey, who said King’s reflections on unity as a response to chaos were a guiding value for the event.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his last book, wrote about a choice that we all face when things are falling apart,” Modey said. “We can let them devolve into chaos, or we can choose community. As I look around the world today, it feels like there’s plenty of chaos. And yet MCSP invites you all here to be part of building community through song, through poetry and through fellowship together in a place where we affirm what’s best about people.”
The event featured Jelani Bayi, one of the original student founders of the “Circle of Unity, who spoke about the event’s origins.
“Back in the day, we were outside in the Diag,” Bayi said. “Most of the participants were MCSP students and performers, and we had a lot of hot chocolate to keep us warm. Through the years, we had a high school band from Detroit come; the Michigan Gospel Chorale has performed. Although it was extremely cold outside, we had hundreds of students and Ann Arbor residents attend.”
Among other types of performances, local singer-songwriter Joe Reilly and Detroit artist Julie Beutel led the audience in a sing-along centered around peace, activism and uplifting the community. Attendees clapped their hands, shouted out lyrics and joined hands in a circle. LSA freshman Avery Hurd performed an interpretative dance to “Freedom” by Beyoncé, featuring Kendrick Lamar. Following Hurd’s dance, Isaiah Schuham-Anders, MCSP coordinator of diversity initiatives, performed an original spoken word poem that discussed themes of unity, hope and togetherness.
“Unity is not a greeting card, it is not a soft song sung in a quiet room,” Schuham-Anders said. “Unity is a friction. It is the heat of different stones rubbing together until they spark a fire that can keep a whole village warm. It is the I surrounding its sharpest edges to become the we. It is the mother whose kitchen has no door, feeding children whose names she didn’t give them. It is the neighbor who hears the silence of your grief and brings a shovel to help you bury the weight.”
MCSP founder David Schoem and former associate director Wendy Woods were then invited to speak about Dr. King’s principles of nonviolence and the importance of youth leadership.
“Let’s build and strengthen this circle of unity,” Schoem said. “Listen to and give power, agency and hope to all of our wonderful students and young people, and let all of us work together for justice, peace and love.”
For the final activity, attendees were invited up to the front of the stage to participate in a collective art activity. Participants traced their hands onto large sheets of paper and were encouraged to write what brings them a sense of community.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Business sophomore Chloé Nicholes, MCSP student leader, said the event was a way to bring the community together and celebrate the values of Dr. King.
“I feel like this event is a great way to get the community out and see people from different backgrounds,” Nicholes said. “As an African American, Dr. King’s message and the work he did throughout his life play a big role in even the fact that I’m at this university today. Bringing in people from different backgrounds really does play a large role in his mission.”
LSA freshman Athiei Manyang told The Daily she attended the event to see a more artistic approach to Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations.
“I thought it would be particularly interesting to see performers and musicians come and showcase their art for this message of unity and justice, instead of just a regular speech like the traditional MLK Symposium,” Manyang said.
Daily Staff Reporters Hayley Weiss and Caroline Wroldsen can be reached at hayweiss@umich.edu and cwrold@umich.edu.
