Hosted By: Baldwin Wallace University Center for Inclusion We are excited to welcome Dr. Michael A. Baston, president of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), as our keynote speaker. Dr. Baston is an in-demand speaker on the role of higher education in moving the needle on equity and justice in America. In addition to his presidencies, Dr. Baston is known as a national leader, including his role as a national Guided Pathways and Equity Transfer Initiative coach for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The Keynote will be presented as a discussion, with questions created to reflect on the 2025 MLK Week theme, "Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?" ________________________________ The 2025 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration theme replicates the title of Dr. King's fourth and final book, which was published prior to his assassination. Under the backdrop of monumental change in America after new laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed the next phase of the movement would bring its challenges. "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" inspires thought and hope for advancing the movement, from continued interracial coalitions to faith, economic justice, nonviolent action and the ballot. As Baldwin Wallace is centered on its own challenges of what the next steps of social action will be and our nation navigates the aftermath of a contentious election cycle and global unrest, the tenets of Dr. King's work ring more now than ever before. In what ways will we rise to the challenge of finding new ways to build even when we don't feel like building? How do we advance community and justice when the structures that support community have been dismantled? Join the committee as we challenge you to consider your role in answering, "Where do we go from here?" Throughout the week, at various programs, we will take time to reflect on the significance of the people and milestones that inspire the struggle for justice in our age. We will celebrate legacies connected to our campus and region. This year, the world lost a giant of the Civil Rights Movement when BW graduate Rev. James Lawson '51 passed away on June 9. Our MLK celebrations also mark the 50th anniversary of the implementation of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in the State of Ohio, eight years prior to it becoming a federal holiday. The 35th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration is sponsored by Baldwin Wallace University in conjunction with the Berea community and the Campus/Community MLK Week Committee 2025.