Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration to Feature Guest Speaker at Franklin College
Franklin College will host multiple events in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration. All events will take place in Richardson Chapel and are free and open to the public.
The day’s events include:
2:30 p.m. - Chapel Service led by Rev. Hannah Adams Ingram, Ph.D., Franklin College director of religious life and chaplain, with guest church partners First Baptist Church of Franklin, Second Baptist Church of Franklin, Grace United Methodist Church, Tabernacle Christian Church and Otterbein SeniorLife Chaplaincy.
3:30 p.m. – Reception: Join us for a hot drink and light snack in the chapel lobby.
4:00 p.m. – The college will host its third lecture in its 2024-2025 Convocation Lecture Series. The lecture, titled “Then and Now – What’s Different?” will be presented by Rev. Sharon Washington Risher.
Washington Risher was in the public eye after losing many loved ones at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting that occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. Her mother, Ethel Lee Lance, the church’s sexton, was killed along with eight others, including two cousins and a childhood friend. Since then, Washington Risher has been outspoken regarding the nation’s gun laws. She’s a representative of the advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and she published the book, For Such a Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness After the Charleston Massacre. Washington Risher will discuss how her experience with the church massacre and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have shaped her life.
Following the convocation, Washington Risher will greet guests and sign copies of her book, For Such a Time as This: Hope and Forgiveness after the Charleston Massacre. Copies of the book will be offered for purchase. Light refreshments will be available.
Registration for the convocation is requested at bit.ly/MLKDAY2025.
Franklin College tradition includes hosting an annual Convocation Lecture Series that promotes the ideals of the institution. The college upholds a common set of values that enhances the community and sustains personal, spiritual and professional growth for a lifetime. The college values people of integrity, a commitment to inclusivity, a culture of intellectual curiosity, the drive for innovation and creativity and the spirit of community.