VCU news

By Dina Weinstein

Embracing the words and spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., members of the Virginia Commonwealth University community came together Thursday evening to celebrate “Thriving Communities: The Legacy of MLK’s Beloved Community.”

The theme of the MLK Week 2024 remembrance was derived from the civil rights icon’s words: “Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

At Thursday’s keynote celebration, held at the Institute for Contemporary Art, Faye Belgrave, Ph.D., vice president for inclusivity and chief diversity officer at VCU, said when she was growing up, her mother frequently referred to King’s famous quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 

“We were taught to support our neighbors and our communities, whether it was registering people to vote or perhaps preparing a dish, or perhaps having someone over during challenging times. So our life was very much informed by that quote,” Belgrave said. “Fast forward and now I am fortunate today to be able to continue these values as VCU chief diversity officer and vice president for inclusivity. The goal of our division is to tackle injustice by addressing it, and promoting a community of caring, inclusion, belongingness and equity in our work with staff, faculty and students.”

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., told the crowd, "Every sentence that came out of Dr. King’s mouth held such incredible meaning and importance that will carry us into the future.” 

“It is important, especially now – when we have all these ways in which people use resources to divide people with old, unfortunate, unjustified notions that divide human beings, we’ve got to be brought together,” he said.

Rao noted that his father had the chance to meet King and was impacted by the experience. Emphasizing the value of civility, professionalism and respect, Rao urged attendees to ensure that VCU purposefully brings together people from different backgrounds, serves as a place of mutual respect and advocates for the themes King promoted, including how people have so much in common.

The event’s keynote speaker was VCU alum Vernon Gordon, the lead/founding pastor of The Life Church in Richmond and founder of The Mosaic Project, a nonprofit promoting social change and cultural unity. He sounded notes of both optimism and concern.

“We all might have some great dreams, but I came to announce to you this caution: It is dangerous to prepare for your dreams and not prepare for your battles,” Gordon said. “I want us to prepare for beloved communities. I want us to maximize our influence. I want us to push toward equity and equality. Just be careful, because belief is never where our dreams go to die. It’s in our battles that our belief gets bullied into submission.”

Gordon also noted how dreams can be diluted and legacies redacted. “We can fall prey to the cultural convenience of embracing a partial narrative that feeds our systemic complacency,” he warned.

Gordon then used King’s embrace of collective good to challenge the audience to think beyond themselves.

“What will you do with your access? What will you do with your open door? What will you do with your influence? What will you do with your wisdom? What will you do with your knowledge? Will you create a community that others can prosper in as well?” Gordon asked.

To create opportunity for others, he encouraged participants to get into “good trouble,” as the late activist and lawmaker John Lewis said.

“Let’s live the legacy in its entirety,” Gordon concluded. “Let’s remember that [King] prayed in protest, and let’s remember that he was religious and a rule-breaker. Let’s remember that he created space for advocates and allies. Let us remember and ask the question: Does his legacy look like my life?”

After the event’s speakers, who included other VCU leaders and members of the MLK Week organizing committee, attendees reflected on the day’s themes during a roundtable discussion led by Micah White, vice president of business development at the Metropolitan Business League. Facilitators included VCU adjunct business professor and nonprofit leader Shantell Chambliss, Ph.D.; VCU alum Damon Jiggetts, who is CEO of the Henrico Education Foundation; and cultural leader Enjoli Moon, who is assistant curator of film and special programs at the ICA at VCU.