Dear Members of the Monmouth University Community:
Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his extraordinary example of nonviolent resistance and social activism. Dr. King’s commitment to social justice and racial equality should inspire all of us at Monmouth as we work towards a more just and more inclusive community where all are welcome and enjoy a true sense of belonging.
As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy today—and every day—I am grateful to our Social Justice Academy for bringing his daughter, Dr. Bernice King, to campus last October. She has dedicated her life’s work to advancing her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change, and in a wonderful twist of fate, her visit was almost exactly 56 years after her father addressed Monmouth students in our very own Boylan Gymnasium to share his thoughts on “The Future of Integration.”
Dr. King’s historic 1966 visit to Monmouth is commemorated in our “Waves of Change” interactive exhibit, currently displayed on the second floor Leon Hess Champions’ Hall in the OceanFirst Bank Center. If you have not yet seen it, I hope you will make every effort to experience this exhibit. I also hope you will set aside time on Wednesday, January 25 for the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture on Social Justice, featuring Dr. Anthony Jack, assistant professor of education at Harvard and author of The Privileged Poor.
Each of us can take inspiration and courage from Dr. King’s example to ensure that his dream of equality and justice lives on. Thanks to the many ongoing and robust efforts across our campus to foster a truly welcoming and inclusive community—dedicated to learning, service, and excellence—I am hopeful for the semester and year ahead.
Dr. Patrick F. Leahy
President