January 13, 2022

 

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy

 

Dear Baruch Community, 

 

It is my honor to connect us all in celebrating the landmark life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday will be observed nationally on Monday. Dr. King’s name is synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, but today as much as then, his convictions, strength, and dreams provide wisdom and hope for the tumultuous time we are in as a nation.  

 

In his speech <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=MLTOymyxVkqXWpuUvzGkfA&ref_id=AC-5dWCbvEOdmqrBnT-wDg>  accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King delivered an unflinching account of the struggles of that era—on the heels of Mississippi burning, the Philadelphia race riot, and the Birmingham campaign—yet he expressed his “abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.” At the same time, he is “mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder.” Echoes and versions of the scenes he describes in his speech have tragically continued to play out over the intervening six decades. 

 

While America has come a long way, race is still an evident impediment to opportunity in our society. Specifically, a lack of access to high-quality education functions as a negative force multiplier for other obstacles—poverty, class, physical location—which, in turn, exacerbates the barriers to social and economic mobility. No matter what our role is at Baruch College—student, faculty, or staff member—we are equipped to be part of the positive force multiplier that our society very much needs. 

 

We are fortunate to learn and work at one of the most diverse and highest quality colleges in the United States—Baruch’s mission is to make academic excellence accessible to all. Academic excellence is achieved by world-class scholar-teachers who take an integral view in the knowledge creation, appropriation, and dissemination process <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=vgRiFCroVUuW9S1Kou11MA&ref_id=AC-5dWCbvEOdmqrBnT-wDg> . It is achieved by all of us, working seamlessly together, to create transformative experiences for our students and alumni, for career opportunities and lifetime fulfillment comparable to any top institution. Through small deeds and actions in our work and our communities, each of us has the power to help realize the fair and just society that Dr. King dreamed. Indeed, this federal holiday was established <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=le3umQFjRUebeITfTTVDWA&ref_id=AC-5dWCbvEOdmqrBnT-wDg>  more as a day “on”—in public service—than as a day off. 

 

Looking ahead, I am always excited that February, the first full month of the spring term, coincides with Black History Month, which this year will support the theme of “Health and Wellness in the Black Community.” In advance, I want to thank the volunteers on the Black History Month Committee, as well as individuals in many units—among them, the Office of Student Life, the Division of Enrollment Management and Strategic Academic Initiatives, the Department of Black and Latino Studies, and the Office of Diversity, Compliance, and Equity Initiatives—who go above and beyond each year to create and curate special events and programming for the Baruch community. I look forward to marking my calendar as events are announced and seeing you there. 

 

As always, I invite you to email me <mailto:[log in to unmask]>  with any questions or comments you may have and to engage with me at my blog <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=XxSlAv-T80yF9v4zMC-gzA&ref_id=AC-5dWCbvEOdmqrBnT-wDg> , where I share ideas, research, and perspectives that impact the campus community, higher education, and society at large. I look forward to hearing from you. 

 

Sincerely,

 

S. David Wu

President, Baruch College

 



 

 

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