Justice & Joy: Cultivating the Beloved Community

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy, the Rowland Hall community will continue its annual series of events and conversations to prompt reflection and foster solidarity towards action. Dr. King’s articulation of the “beloved community” emphasizes the necessity of individuals uniting across differences to build a trusting, loving, and better world for all. This year, our theme is Justice & Joy, an opportunity to imagine alongside storytellers, artists, and musicians a beloved future where everyone can be themselves in multifaceted ways.

During this week, our community will be invited to consider how our dreams of and for the future necessitate listening to each other’s stories, being in relationship with each other, and working towards a shared future. Through poetry, music, discussion, and reflection, community members will confront the historical and contemporary barriers to the inclusion of Black individuals and communities within our collective imagination in order to expand their horizons towards greater inclusion and possible futures for all.

At a time of increasing division, Building a Beloved Future encourages each of us to recognize our role in working towards realizing Dr. King’s vision of becoming the beloved community through love, understanding, and solidarity.