Meditations on Democracy
Each year the 91°µÍø campus community takes time to engage in meaningful exploration and dialogue about issues that connect with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and vision on matters relating to civil rights and social justice, activism, responsibility, and engagement.
2025 Schedule of Events
Date | Time | Event | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Monday, Jan. 20 | 9:00 am | Interfaith Prayer Breakfast and Keynote Address by Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks | Kittredge Dining Hall |
7:00 pm | 91°µÍø Gospel Choir performance with the 91°µÍø Jazz Ensemble | First Presbyterian Church | |
Tuesday, Jan. 21 | 11:00 am | Justice Dialogue: The Power of Pedagogy: Reforming U.S. Public Education with Black Feminist Theory by Brianna Becerra '25 | The Alley, Lowry Center |
12:00 pm | Justice Dialogue: The Role of Education in Fostering Democracy, moderated by Pam Frese | The Alley, Lowry Center | |
Wednesday, Jan. 22 | 11:00 am-1:00 pm | Special Edition of Soup and Bread *Proceeds supporting lunch debt relief for 91°µÍø City Schools | Kittredge Dining Hall |
Thursday, Jan. 23 | 11:00 am | Justice Dialogue: Art is Dangerous: Artists on Injustice and Inequality by Marianne Wardle | 91°µÍø Art Museum |
11:00 am | Justice Dialogue: Talk Back with the filmmakers of "Borderland: The Line Within," hosted by Amyaz Moledina | The Alley, Lowry Center |
Keynote Speaker

Randal Maurice Jelks
Randal Maurice Jelks is the Ruth N. Halls Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University. He is an award-winning author and a documentary film producer. He is the author of , , and and a contributor to an edited collection of essays titled . His other writings have appeared in his online sub stack , the , the , and as well as national blogs, journals, magazines and newspapers. He is currently writing book My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy (Broadleaf Books).